Heaven And Hell
by DarkStarShadow
Summary: MF AU. Five Magicians and their allies rise up against the forces of Infershia, facing deceit, inner turmoil, betrayals, and death. But with their faith and courage, the Mystic Force are more than pushovers.
1. Do You Believe In Magic?

The lightning storm of the century was occurring as the forces of Hell descended upon Briarwood. The warriors of evil had finally broke part of the seal that prevented their travel into the mortal realm, and they set their sights on the town of Briarwood. The ringleaders, a pair of lovely lady vampires, cackled at their luck; nobody had been sent to stop their advance on the town.

"This town will belong to us by tomorrow!" The older of the two shouted.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow! We'll have it, tomorrow! It's only a day away!" The younger of the two sang.

"Enough! Send out our pets!" The older one shouted.

"Yes, yes! Out they go!" The younger one shouted, cracking a whip.

Dozens of winged, scaly beasts shot up into the air as a lightning bolt shot through the air. Then, flying out of the pit of Hell like a flurry of bats, a few flying beasts that were smaller than the 'pets' shot into the sky, crying out in joy.

"Our captives!" The vampires called out. "How did they escape?" They turned around to face their guard, a purple-armored wizard-knight. It was thanks to him, after all, that they had escaped; they had to give him a high rank to repay him, despite the fact that he used magic and was, therefore, an enemy.

"My ladies, we should not focus on those we can capture tomorrow. Let us raze this human town first, then capture all the creatures lat-"

Suddenly, the smaller beasts were struck by a bolt of lightning, forcing them to spiral out of the sky and into a section of the forest.

"See? Nothing to worry about now; they're all dead." The knight said.

"Good grief!" The vampires replied cheerily.

"Look! Our pets!" The older vampire cried as she pointed to the sky; the aerial demons were attempting to attack a shield around the city.

"Curse those mahoutsukai!" The younger vampire cried out. "Always thwarting our plans!"

"Curse them all!" The older shouted in a reply.

The demons prepared a ramming attack, but several bolts of lightning sliced through the scaly beasts, sending them crashing into the shield and disintegrating.

"Tomorrow…tomorrow…we'll kill them all…our pets will be avenged!" The vampires shouted as they retreated back to Hell.

The morning sunlight shone over the horizon, shining upon the two witches that stood on top of the clock tower in the center of town. They were worn thin by their efforts to repel the attackers.

"There're too many of them, Vi." The blue magician said through breaths as she dropped the shield she had created. "I almost didn't make it." She said, slipping her oak wand into her green cloak's pocket.

"Me neither, Maddie." Vi replied as she adjusted the yellow ribbon on her witch's cap to keep it out of her eyes. "If I had to conjure any more lightning bolts, I would've passed out!"

"We should go lie down for a few hours…our boss'll understand if we're late today…" Maddie said as she started to descend the tower. Vi followed her down, sighing all the way.

Hundreds of miles to the south of Briarwood, the town of Rothwood had taken massive damage from a strange explosion early in the night. The fireman took their time looking for survivors in the abandoned warehouse, yet they managed to find a giant mystical laboratory inside, and a woman holding a trimmed-up maple branch amongst the ruins. The woman was brought down for questioning in the morning after she was treated for minor bruises. The entire hospital was surprised that the young blonde woman had survived. A rookie officer had been assigned to the case, as nobody else in the precinct wanted to question her. The officer walked in slowly, examining the young woman as he walked into the interrogation room. Her hair was ratty, her clothes were dirty, and she was clenching onto the maple branch that she had been found with.

"Good morning, miss." He said with a calm tone in his voice. She looked up into his golden-shaded eyes. She grasped the maple branch tightly.

"Good morning, Officer Russell." She replied in a shaky voice. He looked down to see that he had neglected to wear his nametag when he walked in.

"How did you kn-"

"I saw you in my crystal ball last night before the demons came to steal from me." The woman replied. "You told your name was Officer Russell."

"Listen, I'm not all up for your magic deal, I just want some answers." Officer Russell calmly said as he took a seat in the chair opposite of hers. "Now listen, what's your name, hun?"

"My name is Clare."

"No last name?"

"No."

"Do you have a job?"

"I'm a sorceress-in-training."

"And what exactly do you do?"

"I practice magic, Officer Russell. I know you don't believe in mag-"

"So you're gonna tell me that the lab we found in your hideaway wasn't, by chance, a meth lab?" Officer Russell asked harshly.

"I would never make illegal drugs!" Clare shouted.

"Where're you from, Clare? We ran fingerprints on you, and we can't find you in our database." Officer Russell was slowly losing his patience with the woman.

"I'm from Briarwood."

"Briarwood doesn't exist. That's a fairytale place. Now tell me where you're really from."

"I'm really from Briarwood! I have a map to prove it exists!" Clare said, setting her stick down and reaching into her cloak pocket. She revealed an old-looking piece of parchment, showing the location of both Briarwood and Rothwood. "This's the map I used to get here. You can use the map to take you to Briarwood. Although I warn against it at the current time."

"Why's that?" Officer Russell asked as he examined the map closely. This map was genuinely old, though its authenticity and accuracy were yet to be determined.

"The demons took the Xenotome from me…they used it to reopen the gates of Hell…"

"Sure they did…" Officer Russell tried not to laugh. "Well, regardless of the demons breaking into your squat, stealing a book, and coming in from the underworld to invade earth and whatnot, you're still going to be detained for destruction of private property."

"I miscast a spell and it caused an explosion! I'm sorry!"

"Well, tell that to the building's owners. I'm sure they'll love to hear about Briarwood, demons, and you making their building explode." He grabbed his handcuffs and cuffed her. He walked out and handed her off to a fellow officer before stopping to look at the map he took from her.

"Briarwood…what a joke." A sergeant laughed. The entire interrogation wing was trying not to laugh as Clare was hauled out to her cell.

"Well, this map looks real…" Officer Russell said.

"Nick, you okay? You just said the map's real." An officer behind a desk asked Officer Russell.

"Yeah, I'm fine…it's just that I think I should check this out. I mean, even if there's no town, there's gotta be something there…there might be a huge meth lab there, or some thief's guild or something like that…ya never know…" Nick replied. "Permission to check this out, sir?"

"Well, if you really have the urge to go, then go." The sergeant said. "But remember, you're not getting paid vacation time for this."

"Not a problem, sir." Nick replied with a smile.

The sunny morning gave way to a bright afternoon, and the Rise and Shine Bakery in Briarwood was going surprisingly slow, which made its owner and head baker Xander Bly quite happy. Well, he would've been happy if he didn't have such a hard order to fill.

"Ugh, gotta use a pizza crust for a tart…doesn't that old coot realize that it's going to be gross?" Xander griped. "I didn't become a baker to be an experimental chef…and where in the Hell are Madison and Vida? They may be out saving the world, but they should be here baking in the morning!" He sighed, then looked up. "Alright, they should be here by at least noon." A shimmering light from Xander's right caught his eye, and he looked over. His crystal ball was summoning him.

"Oh, what is it now?" He griped as he walked over, wiping his flour-covered hands on his apron. He sat in the chair sitting in front of the crystal ball and began to stare into the ball. He started to see a clock appear, set to two p.m., which was ten minutes ahead in time. Then he saw the opening of his shop, and Vida and Madison walking through the door. He then saw a clock again, an hour ahead in time, then a strange looking individual walking into the store, wearing strange clothes.

"Hm…a stranger…is he good or bad?" Xander mused as he stared. He looked deeper, and saw the person flash a silver badge, which was usually a symbol of good intentions from his crystal ball. "So I guess he'll be fine…but why are you showing me this besides the fact that he looks odd?"

The ball then darkened and revealed an area in the forest with a small lake that was known to be incredibly deep, and an image of a person walking across the top of the water. "Wow, how odd!" Xander said. A small bit of text came in after the second fading, _Aquae Movrum. _"Is that a spoken spell?" Xander asked. He grabbed a pen and wrote the phrase on his right arm, making a mental note to look up the spell's affects later. The ball then reverted to its normal state, giving Xander the head's up that he should get back to work.

He continued on with the awkward tart until he heard the cookoo clock go off above him. Two p.m., and the front door opened as foreseen.

"Hello girls. Better late than never." Xander said without looking up.

"Hi Xander…" Vida and Madison griped. Their robes had become transmuted into baker's uniforms, their hats into chef's hats, and Vida was slowly pouring a warm blue liquid into a small glass as she walked in the back.

"Maddie, I got you some alertness potion…" Vida said, sitting the glass down next to Madison's left arm as Madison sat down in the crystal ball reader's chair.

"Thanks, sis."

"C'mon girls, in fourty minutes, we're gonna have a strange customer, and I have an odd order to fill. Get to work, you two! Drink that potion quick!" Xander began to bark. The Rocca sisters were notorious for being lazy right out the gate, and Xander despised laziness, especially when he was left to do what the lazy people could not force themselves to.

Forty minutes later, and the Rocca Sisters managed to make up enough pretzels, cookies, and cupcakes to feed a small army. As Xander walked out with his finished tart, the trio was set into a panicked state by a strange sound approaching the store. Vida and Madison whipped out their wands, prepared to attack. A strange vehicle stopped outside the shop, its rider took off his helmet and walked inside. As soon as the girls realized that the rider wasn't a threat, they pocketed their wands.

Nick ruffled his hair and smiled at Xander, who made an effort to greet him.

"Hi! I'm Xander!" Xander cheerily greeted. "How can I help you, sir?" Xander noted that the man was dressed in a black leather coat and a dark pair of jeans, which was fairly uncommon in Briarwood.

"Hey, can I get myself a plain doughnut?" Nick asked.

"A dough-knot?" Xander asked. He looked at Vida and Madison, thinking it was another prank the girls were playing on him. "A dough-knot…" Xander muttered, bending down and scooping out what the girls had put in the display case. He spotted a pretzel, grabbed one, then came back up with it. "Is this what you want?"

"No…" Nick replied with a deep sigh. He looked down and pinched the upper half of the bridge of his nose. "Just…just gimme a fucking muffin so I can leave." Vida quickly grabbed an oat muffin and set it on top of the display case. Nick snatched it up and walked over to the cash register.

"Hi." Madison said with a smile. "I hope you enjoy your muffin, I grew all of the ingredients myself at my house."

"That's nice. What's the cost of this muffin? Do I have to pay you in shillings here or something?"

"Fifty cents'll do, sir." Madison said as she rang up the muffin.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. Fifty cents. It's an organically grown specialty muffin. I know, price's high, but still."

"Briarwood is a fucking head trip, I swear…" Nick muttered as he slid two quarters over to Madison. "Nobody has doughnuts, and muffins are super cheap…"

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, do you happen to have a badge of some sort?" Xander asked. Nick responded by flashing his police badge. "As I suspected. I foresaw you coming."

"Foresaw?" Nick asked. "Like psychic stuff?"

"I saw you in my crystal ball. A strange man with a silver badge. Your arrival in Briarwood is oddly timed, sir."

"Yeah, the crazy broad told me all about the demons and the book…" Nick said, biting into the muffin.

"Crazy broad?" Vida asked. "I'm sorry, but you're the only crazy person I see."

"Vida! Mind yourself with the customer." Xander said, setting his hand on her shoulder.

"No, it's unfair for him to call somebody from here crazy!" Vida said, shaking Xander's hand off. She pointed straight at Nick, who decided to eat the muffin while being yelled at by Vida. He was used to domestic disputes aimed at him; most drunken loons in Rothwood loved to antagonize him just to see if his rocky exterior would drop. They never won. "You rode into town on a noisy, disgusting machine, then you come in asking us for something we've never heard of…you're the crazy one to us!"

"Vida! Break time for you!" Xander said, pointing towards the door.

"No, she can stay. I might as well ask while I'm here…" Nick said, setting his muffin down on one of the wooden tables. Vida turned around. "Do any of you happen to know a woman by the name of Clare?"

"Clare's alive?" Vida shouted.

"She had a warehouse dropped on her, but she's fine. I take it you're friends with her…"

"Is she the one you're talking about?" Madison asked.

"Sadly, yeah. So I guess I should phone this in…do you guys have a phone here?"

"A what?" Xander asked. "Your town has a lot of odd-sounding things in it…"

Nick sighed. "I knew I was pushing my luck…" Nick looked at the three of them. "Well, what can you tell me about Clare? Is she an addict of any sort?"

"Addict of what?" Madison asked.

"Any illegal drugs, maybe? You know, maybe some grass, maybe some angel dust, maybe some meth…" Nick asked.

"Drugs? I don't know what your town's like, but we make everything here legally, and the only time anybody eats grass is if they accidentally transmute themselves into a goat or a sheep or something along those lines. Angel dust isn't ingestible, and I have no clue what meth is…Maddie?"

"Meth? Never heard of it. I'm guessing it's bad, though."

Nick sighed deeply, then retreated back to his muffin.

A bell started to ring in the back room, which caused Xander to run back and grab his crystal ball and carry it out to the dining area. He sat down, while Vida, Madison, and Nick crowded around him.

"Sit down, all of you! I can't scry with people looking over my shoulders!" Xander shouted. The trio sat down in the other three chairs; Nick also went back to eating his muffin.

"Okay, I see a cloaked figure…and the four of us…in the forest…and there's a black cloud following us…maybe a demon? I can't make it out…but the four of us have to go to the forest, I think, to meet up with this hooded figure."

"Is it the Great Udonna?" Madison asked, sounding like the name was of great reverence.

"Udonna is a folk tale, sis. She's not real. She's a story told to young witches to get them to aspire to be good witches."

"Who's Udonna?" Nick asked.

"Udonna is said to be the greatest sorceress of all time. She helped save Briarwood during the first war against the demons…" Madison said in a state of enchantment. She was really into the story. "Legend has it that the Five Great Magicians fought in the war alongside her…and although the Five Great Magicians did not survive, Udonna did. She and a brave wizard who stepped up in the Five Great Magicians' last moments helped seal the forces of Hell behind a massive gate. The spell to unlock the first part of the gate was sealed in the Xenotome."

"Hey, Clare mentioned having that book stolen from her!" Nick said as he finished off his muffin.

"Then we must go get it back, at any cost!" Vida said, slamming her fists on the table. "Clare was the Keeper of the Xenotome, and we must help her get it back!"

"Who is in this 'we' group, Vi?" Xander asked without looking up from his crystal ball. "I don't use spells, and I doubt he even believes in magic, let alone knows even a basic spell from any of the five branches." He chuckled.

"Five branches?" Nick asked. "Enlighten me with your magic jargon."

"There are five branches of basic magic, divided into five different colors. The Five Great Magicians each used one of the five basic magicks, therefore making them the most popular. Red magicians work with fire and alchemy. Yellow magicians work with thunder and potions, like me. Green magicians, like my sis here, work with the power of nature, and are therefore inclined to be experts in herbology. Blue magicians, like Xander, are gifted in water magic and fortune telling of all types. Pink magicians are proficient in shape-shifting and wind magic." Vida happily explained.

Madison started to explain the next part. "Being a good magician takes years of practice and devotion, but just about anybody can begin using rudimentary magic at any time in their lives by simply proclaiming their belief in magic. Some people choose to change magic branches during their life, but it is both difficult and tiring to do so, especially if somebody who has been using the same kind of magic for years suddenly changes their mind."

"I'm not too great at using water magic, but I'm excellent with a crystal ball. Vida is wonderful at spells, but she isn't about to go make any super complicated potion in the near future. Madison is good in both fields of her color's magic. It just depends on the user, really. And must I mention that not everybody who believes in magic practices magic? Most of my family believes in magic, but only my mother chooses to use her water magic on a regular basis." Xander added in. "Just saying you believe in magic doesn't mean you'll be shooting off spells all over the place; it just means that you acknowledge the existence of the magical spirits."

"What a religious cult you people are…" Nick mumbled.

"Well, I know where we're going, girls, and strange guy. If we're all supposed to be somewhere, we should be there." Xander wrapped up his crystal ball and began to walk outside. Vida and Madison got up to follow him, causing Nick to stand up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute here, wait a minute!" Nick said, waving his arms in a 'stop and let me talk' fashion. "Just because you saw in that little ball that the four of us should go to the forest…you're going to go to the forest?"

"Why not? The spirits have spoken to me. They say that there is someone waiting for us there that we must meet. Why would the spirits lie to me? They've never let me down before!"

"Just seems a little weird to me, okay? My instincts are telling me that there is some crazy cult crap that's going to happen out there, and I want no part of it."

"Well, you can watch us to make sure we don't do anything illegal." Madison said in a soft tone. Nick thought about it for a while, then grinned.

"You've got a point." Nick said. "I'll come with you."

"You're leaving that infernal machine here, though." Xander said. "I don't care where you're from, but here in Briarwood, we walk everywhere." Nick fumed a bit; his bike was his pride and joy, and he wasn't one to take orders from legal subordinates well, but he knew that he had to swallow his pride for the moment. "Fine."

Nick followed Vida, Madison, and Xander into the forest. Within moments of their arrival, the sky began to become overcast.

"See, I knew something was gonna happen, and I didn't even need a crystal ball for that!" Nick said. Xander flashed him a dirty look.

"This must be the 'dark clouds' I foresaw…huh…" Xander frowned. "I should learn to read my crystal ball better…"

Vida then stopped. "We forgot!" She exclaimed, taking out her wand.

"Oh! Yeah!" Madison replied, taking out her wand. Nick stared at them.

"Oh great, more sticks."

"Regalia Magi!" Vida and Madison said in unison, waving their wands. Their baker's uniforms turned into witch hats and cloaks. They then pointed their wands at Xander and Nick, changing their attire to cloaks and witch hats as well. Nick's hat and cloak were trimmed with red ribbons, and Xander's was trimmed in blue.

"Ah, red!" Vida said. "Lucky you! I knew you'd be a red magician, with your fiery temper and all…"

Nick ignored her comments, as he was too busy looking at his cloak and panicking. "What did you do to my clothes?" He shouted, looking at Vida and Madison.

"It's a simple grey spell. Anybody can learn it, and it will wear off once the castors reverse it. Your normal clothes are fine."

"Fix it! Now!" Nick demanded.

"Oh stop it. You're in our town, you follow our rules." Xander said. "I'm quite tired of your temper and demanding. Just because you're important in your town doesn't mean that you're any more special than we are."

"Exactly!" Vida replied.

"Fine! Let's just find this hooded guy or whatever, then we can leave." Nick griped. "I don't have the time…"

They walked far into the forest until they couldn't see the sun anymore. What the overcast weather wasn't blocking, the treetops absorbed.

"I'll fix this! Luma Lumiere!" Vida waved her wand and a ball of light engulfed the tip of her wand. "Electric light." Vida said, showing it off.

"I can one-up ya, sis!" Madison said. "Silva Lumiere!" She said, pointing at the ground. The ground lit up below her, as did the trees. Nick, Xander, and Vida all stared in wonder. "Sprite light." Madison replied with a smile. Vida smirked and dispelled her wand's light. "Showoff."

As the light extended, Madison spotted something horrible up ahead. Dozens of hideous monsters were less than a hundred yards away. The eyeless beasts were humanoid in shape and wielded large blades. As soon as the creatures spotted the group, they emitted a terrifying howl, causing the magical foursome to quiver in fear.

"Demons!" Madison shrieked. "Oh no…"

"If only I had my pistol…" Nick muttered.

"That's alright! I can do much more damage than any mere machine!" Vida said. She waved her wand and shouted, "Ramuh rabia!" A burst of electric light shot out of her wand and bounced around the demon group. The demons cried out in anguish.

"Silva Sceld!" Madison said, touching the ground with the tip of her wand. As she drew the wand upwards, vines shot out of the ground, forming a wall in front of the group. The demons recovered quickly, and started to charge the vine wall. "Everybody, make a break for it!"

The foursome ran for it, splitting up in the process. Madison and Xander went east, Vida and Nick headed west. Without Madison's support, the shield fell, and the demons started to chase the two groups.

Vida re-summoned her light and Nick made sure to keep his eye on it. "I never got your name, but I suggest you either run for it or help me fight these demons!" Vida shouted as she leaped over a fallen log in her path.

"The name's Nick, and I doubt I'll be much help." Nick replied.

"Well then, run faster and stay out of my way!" Vida fired off another lightning blast, taking out the demons that had followed them.

"Um, Vida…" Nick said, stopping in his tracks. She turned around and spotted a giant stone golem coming their way.

"Oh shit…" Vida dropped to her knees and held her wand up to the sky. "Please, O Heavenly Saints, please don't let us die…forgive Nick for he doesn't understand…forgive me for not devoting myself enough to your greatness…"

"You're praying for forgiveness?" Nick shouted, kneeling next to her. The golem was coming closer.

"It's the only thing I can think of doing…" Vida said. "I know I'm not experienced enough to defeat this golem…"

Just as soon as the golem came within ten feet of them, Vida and Nick shielded themselves with their arms, preparing for the worst. The air then turned cold, then warm again, causing a mild confusion to wash over the pair. They looked up at the golem and found that it had suddenly become frozen solid. Vida and Nick stared in awe.

"Ice magic…" Vida said in a trance-like voice.

Madison and Xander ran as fast as they could, but they found that the demons were slowly catching up. The sprite lights guided them through the forest, and suddenly Xander spotted a familiar landmark.

"Maddie, I got an idea!" Xander said, stopping. "You put up your shield, and I'll lure them away from you."

"But you don't know any magic!" Madison replied.

"I got a spell up my sleeve…literally." Xander replied, rolling up his sleeve to reveal the spell from the crystal ball. Madison threw up another shield, giving Xander the reassurance that she was going to be fine. He then ran for the small lake.

"Aquae Movrum!" Xander called out as he approached the lake's edge. He looked behind, waiting for some sort of effect, but all he got was a lightheaded feeling. "Well, that was a waste." He muttered.

He looked down and gasped; he noticed that he was standing on top of the water in the middle of the lake. "Well, okay, maybe I did something…" He looked to see how deep the lake went, and he suddenly saw why the crystal ball picked out the location. "Perfect…" He grinned. "Hey! Big ugly demons! Come and get me!" He screamed, waving at the pack.

Madison continued to hold back the demons, but she had difficulty. Without any attacking power, she couldn't hold them off much longer. The demons that hadn't followed Xander were breaking through her shield. She panicked as one of the demon's swords shot through her shield and narrowly missed her face. She braced herself, waiting for the worst, as a voice behind her cried out, "Kaze Adala!" Gusts of wind shot past her, drilling into the demons and tearing them apart. The wind spirals that hit the ground broke apart, becoming mini tornadoes and flinging the demons everywhere. Madison looked up to see a hooded figure floating downwards using a steadying levitation spell. The hooded figure landed besides Madison.

"I take it you're here with three other magicians?" The hooded figure asked. The male voice was warm and cheerful, yet authoritative and serious.

"I was…but now I'm pretty much alone…"

"Well, we have to find them then!" The hooded figure said. "Which way did they go?"

"Xander went left…" The hooded figure began to run left. "Wait for me!" Madison began to catch up to him.

"Hahaha! How's the weather down there?" Xander laughed as he stood on top of the middle of the lake, watching the demons sink to the bottom of the lake. The hooded figure and Madison spotted him, and Madison smiled.

"Ah Xander, I see you're using water magic!" Madison cheerily commented as she walked forward to greet him.

"I saw it in my crystal ball, Maddie. How righteous is that?" Xander said, running over the pond's surface to greet her. Xander noticed that the hooded figure was standing behind Madison. "Oh…the hooded figure…"

"C'mon you two, we gotta find your friends!" He began to run back through the forest.

"Why won't you wait for us?" Madison asked as she and Xander began to chase after him.

Vida and Nick stood up, shaking. They spotted a white-armored figure with a large magical staff adorned with a snowflake-shaped crystal.

"Ah, two out of the five magicians…where are your friends?" The armored figure asked. Her voice was stern and strong.

"Are you…Udonna?" Vida asked.

"There's no time for talk. Separated, you are vulnerable. We must find them immediately." The armored woman said, walking over and grabbing Nick and Vida by their hands. "Now, off we go!" The trio ran back the way that Nick and Vida had come.

As the hooded figure stopped to take a break, Madison and Xander finally caught up to him. Xander saw an opportunity to give and introduction as the hooded figure grabbed his side and breathed heavily.

"Hi, I'm Xander." Xander said cheerily.

"Can't you see…that I'm out…of breath…?" The hooded figure replied. "I haven't run…as far or…as fast…as I am…right now…in a long time…" He used his free hand to toss off his hood.

The forest sprites' greenish lights illuminated the hooded figure's burnt amber hair and made it look like a gentle fire. He was a shade paler than Madison, and his eyes were lit with the same intensity and shade as his hair. As he slowly caught his breath, Madison meekly walked up to his side.

"Are you okay?" She nervously asked. She could only hope that he wouldn't snap at her like he did Xander. "Are you going to be sick?"

"I'll be fine, but thank you for asking." He replied with a weak smile. "I always bounce back just fine!" He then shot up from his sitting position and brushed himself off. "See? I'm o-" He then winced and grabbed his side once more. "Ow, cramp…" He stayed bent over for a moment, then slowly stood up. "Okay, I'm fine again."

"Alright!" Xander said. He then stuck his hand out for a shake. "Hi, I-"

"Yeah, heard ya the first time."

"May we ask your name?" Madison asked.

"The name's Charlie, but you can just call me Chip." Chip curtseyed to Madison, then to Xander. "May I ask your name, miss?"

"My name is Madison."

"Well, it's nice to meet you both, but we must go find your fellow magicians. We don't have any time; we're on a mighty quest!" Chip shouted, pointing forwards.

Five minutes later, Chip, Madison, and Xander ran into Nick, Vida, and the white armored woman.

"Ah, I was worried that you would never get here." The white armored woman said to Chip.

"I was too! But, luckily I found Madison and Xander, and we avoided a certain doom." His calm demeanor scared Nick and Vida.

"Let us get to the Rootcore then." The white armored woman said.

"The Rootcore?" Madison asked. "Isn't that the legendary lair of the Great Udonna?"

"What else would it be?" Chip asked excitedly. "Let's go!" He began to run north, and everybody raced to catch up to him.

Chip finally stopped in front of a tree, and the white armored woman stepped in front of him.

"Galwit Nermax Mysto!" She said, waving her wand. The tree trunk opened wide, stopping when the hole was wide enough to let people file in two by two.

"Ladies first." Chip said, stepping out of the way. Madison, Vida, and the white armored woman walked in first, followed by Xander and Chip. After a moment, Xander noticed that Nick hadn't followed them, so he walked back.

"You shouldn't stand in the forest alone." Xander warned.

"This is all a dream!" Nick replied, crossing his arms. "I'm dreaming all of this, and since it's my dream, I don't have to do anything!"

"C'mon, before a bunch of demons come and kill you."

Nick sighed. If it was a dream, and his subconscious self though this fictional person was telling him to follow the character, then he really had no choice. Besides, dying in dreams wasn't exactly something he wanted to do. "Fine…"

As Nick entered the tree trunk, he felt himself pulled forwards until he fell face flat onto a wooden floor, knocking his hat off his head.

"Welcome, Nicholas." The white armored woman said as she walked to the dais that sat on a stairway that oversaw the wide area that made up most of the area.

"How'd you know my name?" He asked the woman.

The woman did not answer, so Nick took to looking around the room. In the wide open space in front of him, there was a wide circular table adorned with a design that he could only think of coming from a Wiccan book, featuring five colored circles with designs inside them.

Vida had become intent on studying them and speaking out their meanings. "Red Phoenix…Blue Mermaid…Yellow Garuda…Pink Fairy…Green Minotaur…the Mystic Titans of ancient lore…amazing…"

Around the chair sat five chairs, all adorned in the same colored symbols as the table. There were vine banisters adorning the sides of simple wooden steps and holding the stained glass windows in place. In the middle of the largest window, a symbol that appeared to be a curved golden 'M' sat powerfully, craving authority.

The woman dropped her armor, revealing a middle-aged woman wearing a tan-shaded dress with her long, curly hair up in a half-ponytail. Madison and Vida's jaws dropped as they dropped to the floor in a genuflex.

"Great Udonna, I knew it was you!" Vida said. "Madison and I are in your great service!" Xander and Chip followed slowly. Nick stared at them, once again considering the whole situation insane.

"Rise, magicians. No need to bow." The four rose to their feet. "Nick, Vida, Xander, Madison, Charlie…you have all been summoned here by the Heavenly Saints to save the world."

"Charlie…Charlie Thorn?" Madison muttered quizzically, looking at Chip. Her gazing caused the rest to stare. Vida's eyes widened as she gasped.

"I thought I recognized you!" Vida added as soon as the name clicked. She pointed straight at him, mouth open wide in shock. "You're the 'Wind Scout of the North'! I heard you were captured, drained by vampires, disembodied, turned to dust, and that your ashes were scattered throughout the underworld!"

Chip blushed. "Well, that's the weirdest theory I've heard. I've heard that I was killed a few different ways, but that one is the most grotesque by far…and also the coolest. But yeah, I'm the Wind Scout, Charlie Thorn."

"It's an honor to work with you!" Vida said.

"You shouldn't worship me like a Heavenly Saint, Miss Vida, lest you lose favor with them." Vida shut up and looked back at Udonna.

"Children, here me out. Now is not the time for side chatter." Udonna said. "I am indeed the Great Udonna, and this planet needs you five warriors to protect it and drive the demons back to Hell and destroy them."

"I'm here on an investigation; I'm not here to save the world." Nick said, waving his hands.

"Why do you think your investigation led here during this time of crisis?" Udonna asked. Nick pondered the question for a moment; it did seem highly unusual for his boss to allow anybody to go on a crazy lead, and the fact that the first people he ran into in Briarwood would happen to be a fortune teller and two witches, and then to find that he was affiliated with the color red, which would complete this crazy 'five branches' thing…

"I suppose not all of it can be coincidence…" Nick replied. "Okay, so I'm here. How do I help you guys out to get what I need?"

"You first gotta believe in magic." Vida said, walking over to him. "You don't believe in magic, and here, that's all you have."

"You've seen magic in action, and you still don't believe?" Chip asked.

"No, he thinks it's all part of some crazy cult run by illegal activities and that we're creating illusions of demons or something like that." Xander replied.

"What a world you live in…you're so cynical and blind to the truth…" Udonna commented.

"Open your eyes, Nick. Those demons in the forest were real. Xander foresaw you coming to Briarwood. He saw you, Vida, Chip, himself, and me all together. This is meant to be. The only way you can help is to join us." Madison said. "We're not a cult. We're not an illegal group. We're supposed to be a team to help the world. Why else would the demons be after us?"

Nick sighed as Vida grabbed his hands. "Nick, you have to believe in us. You have to believe that this world is lost without you. Do you believe that?"

"I guess…"

"You have to believe it wholeheartedly!" Vida said, clenching his hands. "Now tell me, do you believe in us?"

"There's nothing saying I shouldn't."

Vida smiled. "Do you believe in our cause?"

"Well, it's a great cause. It's why I became a cop, to make the world safe."

"One last question: do you believe in magic?"


	2. The Five Magicians

"_One last question: do you believe in magic?"_

"After all this, I do. I believe in magic." Nick replied with a smile. The Rootcore responded to the good news; the walls began to glow shades of amber and red, and the central table's gold circle lit up along with the red phoenix circle.

"With five magicians of all five colors present, the circle is complete." Udonna said, pulling a cherrywood wand from underneath her long, flowing sleeve. "Nick, this shall be your wand. You are the Red Magician of this group, and the fire spirits have granted you fire magic. The most basic of these spells is 'Pyra Incero'. Treat this wand with care, and it will treat you with care back."

"Wait, I don't get it." Nick asked as Udonna walked to present him with his wand.

"What is there to get, Nick?" She replied, placing the wand in his right hand.

"How do you know what magic I use? What 'Heavenly Saints' give me power?"

"The phoenix symbol was come alive with your acceptance of magic. The phoenix is the representation of the fire element, which in turn is represented by the color red. This is what the Heavenly Saints decided centuries ago when they created their set of rules for future magicians."

"I see…" Nick said, looking over the wand he had been given.

"Your natural thirst for knowledge will lead to great power here in the Rootcore. My books will provide you with information if you ever have any other questions."

"Yes, Madame Udonna."

"Just call me Udonna, child." She then looked at the other four. "That goes for the rest of you."

"Same with me." Chip replied. "I'm no better than the rest of you now. Remember that." He sat down in the chair positioned in front of the yellow garuda symbol.

"Charlie, I suggest you stand up for a moment. In fact, I want Nick you practice the spell I gave him, and I want the rest of you to sit in front of your magic branch color and set your wands down." They complied as Nick began to wave around his wand and tried to get the spell right.

As the four placed their wands on the table, Xander looked up at Udonna. "What do we do now?"

"I shall do the rest." Udonna replied, taking her wand out and waving it a bit. "Elema Migna!" Suddenly, the symbols in front of the four faded and disappeared; appearing moments later out of order.

In front of Madison was the Blue Mermaid instead of the Green Minotaur, Xander now sat in front of the Green Minotaur, Chip now sat in front of the Garuda symbol again, and Vida sat in front of the Pink Fairy. The circles then began to glow, engulfing the wands in their light. As the light died down, they revealed the new wands; they were all perfectly shaped like Nick's instead of just being hewed off tree branches, and they all the same color as the light that had engulfed them.

"Why am I pink? I don't know anything about wind magic! I hate the color pink!" Vida griped.

"And why must I be yellow? I hate thunder magic!" Chip seemed to be as furious as Vida.

"If I'm green…does that mean I can't use my crystal ball anymore?" Xander asked, picking up his wand.

"And does that also mean that my plant-growing will be faulty?" Madison added.

"Why did you change us up? It's such a hassle to relearn all these magicks with demons roaming about!" Chip replied.

"These are your true elements, children." Udonna replied.

"We were chosen by our respective saints for a reason! You don't have the right to change it, no matter who you are!" Vida replied, nearly knocking the chair over as she stood up.

"I looked within all of you, and this is what I saw. You are all out of your elements, and I have fixed this." Udonna said, facing Vida and Chip. She then turned to Madison and Xander. "And to answer your questions, as you two go on in the studies in your new magicks, your proficiencies in your old magicks will fade slightly. It won't ever be as good as it is now, and it will take more to be able to perform spells in those branches, but it won't ever fully disappear. Just don't count on them to work for you in battle."

"I see…" Xander said. "But how…how am I a green magician when everyone in my family is only known to use blue?"

"Oh, blue is your branch…but it is only where you start. What you know from being a blue magician will aid both you and Madison in these times. Same for you too, Madison, and Chip, and Vida. This is to help you four learn from each other and to unite as one."

"I'm just fine on my own, thank you very much." Chip replied, turning his back to the group. Udonna turned him back around with a wave of her wand.

"I work better on my own too, Udonna." Nick replied, finally getting the spell to work. A plume of fire shot from the tip of his wand, much like a flamethrower. "Whoa! Amazing! It really works!" He commented with a smile.

"Nick, you shall learn what you need from my library mostly. I'm terribly sorry if you don't like to read, but since you are the only person to use fire magic here-"

"Oh that's fine. I don't mind reading if it's something useful."

"That is good to hear. Now, the first thing we must do is to work on the most basic attack you can all use against the demons. Charlie, your best bet is to use the spell 'Catena Rai'. That is a simple and effective spell. Vida, 'Kaze Sparus' will do just fine."

"Kaze Sparus is a weak spell!" Chip replied.

"The demons who are roaming about do not require much effort to defeat. These spells are perfect for learning your strength with your magicks. Anything stronger, and it would be a waste of time and energy." Udonna replied. She then continued on with her suggestions. "Now Xander, you should practice using "Grundia Spalt". Just remember to aim this away from the others, okay?" Xander nodded in response. "Good. Now Madison, the best spell for you is "Aquae Tortum". Attacking, I know, isn't your style, but you will enjoy this spell. Now, I want you all to practice these spells on your first quest."

"Ooh, a quest!" Chip said enthusiastically. "God, I've wanted a quest to do for ages!"

"Quests are for little kids. Let's just charge a small camp of those demons and whip them!" Vida said.

"We need the Xenotome, Vida. Your first quest is to retrieve it. Charlie shall lead you to the location on this map, since he knows the safest and fastest routes." She waved her wand, and a shower of white flakes shot out, reaching out to Chip's right hand and materializing into a parchment map. "Remember your spells and remember this bit: Using magicks outside your branch will weaken you faster than normal, so if you choose to go against the new changes, then you will find yourself weak and tired after a few spells."

"Well, I should be fine no matter what, right?" Nick asked. "I mean…since this is the only magic I've used…"

"Yes Nick, you shall be fine with what you have."

"Good. I say that we find this book and get back here. I'm going to try and call my boss once we get back…try to get that Clare girl here. She is from here, right?"

"You know where my assistant is at the moment?" Udonna asked. She seemed concerned.

"My partners locked her up in a holding cell…she was speaking all these weird things to us that none of us believed…but she gave me this map…it was in my coat pocket…" He said, looking over at Vida.

"Check your inner pocket then. I didn't totally remove your jacket, ya know."

"Oh, okay…" He checked the inside of his cloak, delighted to find the map inside. He then set it down on the table. "She gave me this map, and I followed it here."

"I see that even Clare knew that you were meant to come here…I told her to give it to nobody but a true magician if she were to fall onto hard times. This itself proves that your arrival was foretold and fated to be. I am sure that once the Xenotome is back in our hands, that it will agree with the current events." Udonna then fell silent and crossed her arms. "Now, all of you, there is no time to waste. Get going."

"Will do!" Chip replied, giving his group's salute, which was forming a 'v' shape around his right eye with his palm facing outwards, to Udonna before running out the entrance, once again abandoning the group and forcing them to chase after him.

As they ran, Nick decided that he was going to ask his associates about the situation.

"Hey Vida…" He asked, catching up to her. "What exactly is this Xenotome I keep on hearing about?"

"The Xenotome is an book written by the Ancients…it's said to contain spells, prophecies, legends, maps, and even words of the Heavenly Saints themselves…but nobody knows exactly what's in it. What's known for sure is that if the demons from Hell got their hands on it, that it would mean the end of the surface world, both the mystic realm and the mortal realm would be extinguished."

"Why then, was it brought to the mortal realm?"

"The mortal realm is not a very safe place and hard to understand by anything of a mystic nature, therefore any demons trying to get their hands on the Xenotome in the mortal realm would have to take a human form, then struggle to find places where it would be easy for somebody to hide something, then try to figure out the defenses around it…it's too much work. Apparently, though, Clare wasn't safe enough where she was."

"Well, she's not a member of the mortal realm…it's hard for her to find a place to hide in my society."

"Well, she'd blend in fine in Briarwood…your society must be strange…what, with your phones, your crazy machines…and your dough-knots…" Nick rolled his eyes; this was going to be one hell of a long day.

Chip suddenly stopped at a fork in the trail. He looked at the map for a moment, then looked back at the fork.

"Hm…" He mused. "High road, which's longer and safer…or the low road, which's shorter but more dangerous…" He turned to the group. "Who wants to go the long route? It should be a lot safer than the short route." They all nodded in the positive. "Fine, the high road it is!" He proclaimed. He then went and sat on a rock. "Five minute break…" He grabbed his left side as he gasped for air. "I guess I didn't recover as well as I thought…" The group then collapsed to the ground. Chip was a speedy runner, and it was difficult maintaining their top speeds, let alone trying to keep up to Chip.

"…Could you please consider slowing down a bit, Chip?" Madison asked. "We can hardly keep up to you…"

"Since you asked so nicely, I suppose I could…" Chip replied with a grin. "Alright, let's get up and go…we can't waste any more time. The demons could be exploiting the Xenotome as we speak." He stood up, and made his way down the right-hand path at a walking pace. The others gathered up their strength and continued onwards, happy that he had slowed down.

At the temporary camp of the demons, the two vampire women tried fruitlessly to decipher the messages written in the Xenotome.

"There are no words!" The first one shouted.

"No words!" The second one replied.

"WOLZARD!" They both shouted. The purple-armored knight walked over to them, his sword sheathed in its holster built into the shield.

"Ladies Nai and Mae, may I advise that you put that book away and begin to pack up. The humans will undoubtedly be here soon, as they are running this way."

"We can fend ourselves against them!" They both said, nodding.

"No, you cannot. There are five of them now…and the scout is leading them."

"The scout?" Nai asked.

"Scout?" Mae replied.

"He escaped our grasp once, my ladies…he knows too much about us and our master." Wolzard looked down and clenched his free fist.

"Then we should get rid of him!" They replied.

"They are coming…our best bet is to escape with the Xenotome while we can. Once we are safe, we can decode it." Wolzard took the Xenotome and skimmed through it, ripping out several pages in the process. "I suppose that if you are intent on staying, I can afford to catch up on reading…"

"You ruined the book!" Nai shouted.

"Ruined!" Mae repeated.

"This is a win-win situation, girls…I'll tell you both once we return to our master's lair." Wolzard replied.

"Okay!" They both replied. Suddenly, several of the demon scouts cried out.

"Do you smell humans?" Nai asked.

"Humans, are they around?" Mae questioned.

Chip began to look around after twenty minutes of walking. "Something isn't right…" He mumbled.

"What's up?" Nick asked.

"Either there's been a settlement created in the last six years…or somebody's set up camp. Don't you smell the smoke?" Chip replied.

"I see smoke up ahead!" Xander replied, pointing over Chip's head in the direction they were facing.

"There's something out there…" Vida said. "What's the levitation spell, Chip? I wanna get a better view."

"Aeroga Levios. Say it, then lift your arms like a bird spreads its wings." He replied without taking his gaze off of the smoke plume Xander pointed out.

"Alrighty." Vida waved her wand, repeating what Chip said. She spread her arms out like wings as she began to rise off the ground. She rose above the treetops and spotted a camp. "Guys! Up ahead!" She shouted down to them. "Now how to I get down from here?"

"Drop your arms!" Chip replied. Vida dropped her arms and slowly dropped back down to the group.

"Okay, I think I saw some demons, and a guy in a suit of purple armor, and some girls in black dresses-"

Chip stopped her. "I'm not sure if we should be going th-"

"And I saw the Xenotome." Vida cut him off.

"The vampires are dangerous women. We have to avoid them at all costs…we should try to see if they'll drop their guard before charging in…or maybe we should wait…"

Nick found Chip's sudden change in tone intriguing. There were miniature cacophonies of notes that nobody else seemed to notice, signaling a sudden and urgent panic. He could see the panic in Chip's eyes; they were ever so slightly shivering with the same fear in Chip's voice. Nick only rationalized that since he was so used to dealing with domestic disputes and trying to calming down terrified assault victims, that he had been trained with the ability to tell these sorts of things. All he truly knew was that Chip was trying to do everything in his power to keep his true emotions hidden, and that something about the vampires scared him. He couldn't figure out, based on his knowledge, understand why vampires were out in the morning, but then again, nothing Nick had been seeing made total sense today. He snapped back into the conversation.

"Chip, we have no choice." Xander was arguing. "They have the Xenotome. Our mission is to get it, regardless on who's guarding it!"

Chip sighed. "Fine, but if any of you are hurt, it's not my fault!" Chip shouted, drawing out his wand. "Now, we're going to approach slowly…"

Wolzard looked up, setting the pages down on the ground. He picked up his shield and unsheathed his sword. "They arrive…" He whistled, catching the attention of the demon foot soldiers in the camp. "Hideacs! Defensive positions!" The beasts lined up in ranks accordingly. "If we are to run, we will run under their cover."

"But Wolzard-sama…" Nai began to protest.

"Wolzard-sama…" Mae mimicked.

"Combine and prepare to retreat." Wolzard ordered.

"Yes, Wolzard-sama…" Nai and Mae sadly replied, grabbing each other's hands and leaning in, touching cheeks. Their bodies temporarily turned black and leathery until the two of them had become one full creature. This new form was clad entirely in black leather and PVC, from the bat-winged and mohawk-adorned head to the mini-boot adorned feet.

"Are you happy, Wolzard? I feel so empty…" The new creature spoke.

"Lady Vankyuria, I do believe that it would be wise to take the book and return to the base…for your own safety." Wolzard replied. "Trying to manage both of you would be more difficult. Besides, you can fly now, can't you?"

"I can fly faster than that damn Wind Scout could ever imagine going, Wolzard…but I wish to stay and watch for a while." She then gave note to the removed pages. "Shall we put them back?"

"I've memorized them, so perhaps it wouldn't hurt." Wolzard replied.

"I'll do the honors." Vankyuria replied, picking them up. She opened up the book to the places the pages had been removed, then slid the pieces in. She the closed the book and shot a bolt of purple energy through it. The pages magically set back in place just as the magicians were approaching. "I want a better view. " She muttered as she floated upwards on her own power. "I want to see their faces before I kill them…"

Chip spotted Vankyuria floating overhead and he turned white as the hair on Vankyuria's head. He stopped in his tracks as Vida, Nick, Madison, and Xander ran past him, wands blazed, ready for battle.

"Grundia Spalt!" Xander shouted, pointing at the ground in front of him. The ground opened up, sending several entire columns of Hideacs falling to their undead demises, one bone crunching slam against the sidewalls at a time.

"Kaze Sparus!" Vida shouted, pointing her wand at a deep column of Hideacs. A burst of tightly-packed spiraling wind shot out of her wand, drilling through each Hideac that stood in its path, spewing blood, bone hunks, and entrails in a wide radius.

Vankyuria grinned as she shot up higher into the sky. "Come, little Wind Scout…I'll tear you apart…" She watched as the other members of the group distanced themselves from Chip. "Alone, are we? What a tasty treat you'll be!" Vankyuria grinned, baring her fangs and dive-bombing towards Chip, who was too paralyzed in fear to run or scream.

"Aquae Tortum!" Madison cried out, aiming her wand at a group of charging Hideacs. A large jetstream of water shot out of her wand, hitting the Hideacs and beginning to dive into their suits and drive holes through their skin, painfully peeling away each layer through advanced erosion. Madison managed to slice the charging Hideacs in half within moments. "Gross…but effective, I guess."

"Pyra Incero!" Nick shouted, sending a house fire's worth of flame shooting out his wand, setting all the Hideacs within a twenty-foot range in front of him and on his sides aflame as he waved his wand about. "Burn, baby, burn!" Nick shouted, charging forward, wand constantly pulsing out the fire as he ran towards Wolzard and the Xenotome, which Vankyuria had dropped once she spotted Chip.

"Ah, Wind Scout of the North…" Vankyuria murmured as she landed in front of Chip. "Which side is it now which screams the most…" She extended the claws on her right hand and drove them into Chip's left side. Chip tried to scream in agony, but his vocal chords were tangled in knots and he was paralyzed in fear. Vankyuria began to fly up, carrying Chip upwards by the claws in his side. She pulled his body closer to his, holding him gently against her body as she pulled her claws out. She seducingly licked the blood up off the tips of her claws, smiling afterwards. "Ah, even wounded blood from you is like a fine wine…"

Chip tried to remember the spell he was given, but he was in too much pain and terror to think at all.

"Do you hate death, child? If you join me, you'll never have to fear it…" She grinned, caressing his sheet-white face. "We would love to have you with us…"

"Not in your life." Chip replied, slowly picking up his wand arm while trying to remember the spell he was given.

"I tried being nice to you, but I guess you're going to make it difficult for yourself!" She drove her fist into his stomach with enough force to rock his kidneys and make him cough up a small amount of blood. "Oh, a feast for me…? Don't mind if I do…" She grabbed him by his hair and lifted his head, up, licking the blood from his lips. "Oh, you magicians always have a nice taste…you're all magically delicious." She cackled. "What a lovely joke I made!" She laughed for a moment, then fell silent. "Now…if you will not join us, then you will die!" She opened her mouth as wide as she could, baring her elongated fangs.

Chip suddenly mustered up all his strength, drawing his wand up to her mouth, shouting "Catena Rai!" A bolt of lightning shot out of his wand, shooting through Vankyuria's body. She shrieked as the electricity flowed through her, setting her aflame and discharging it back to Chip. He struggled to loosen her grip until she dropped him to the ground. She fell to the ground, setting some dry brush on fire as she disintegrated into ash. Chip looked up and weakly grinned at his success, before collapsing once more.

The Xenotome began to glow brightly as Vankyuria slowly faded out of existence. Wolzard stepped back from the book as Nick ran up.

"Holy shit…" Nick said, staring between the Xenotome and Wolzard.

"The Red Magician…" Wolzard said in awe. "You have awakened…"

"Who are you?" Nick asked, pointing his wand at him.

"My name is Wolzard. Today we will not fight because you are not worth my time. But when we next meet, I know that you will be prepared." Wolzard then walked off in the opposite direction, leaving the Xenotome behind. Nick swallowed hard to get rid of the lump in his throat, then he grabbed the Xenotome.

"Guys! I got it!" Nick shouted, waving the book around.

"Awesome!" Xander shouted before quickly shoving a Hideac into the pit he made.

"Alright!" Vida said as she took out the remaining Hideacs with her Wind Spear.

"Let's head back." Madison said as she turned around. She then spotted the fire that Vankyuria's body had left behind and that it was dangerously close to Chip, who was trying hard to get up. "Aquae Tortum!" She blasted out the fires and ran to Chip's side, as did Xander. They both helped Chip up, who slid away from Xander and Madison as he gained his bearings.

"I'm fine." Chip said, brushing off his cloak.

"You're bleeding, Chip." Xander said.

"'Tis but a flesh wound." Chip replied with a grin. He began to walk, away, grabbing his side and limping back to the Rootcore.

"I hope he's alright…" Madison said.

Back in Roftwood, Clare was pacing back and forth in her cell, mumbling.

"How can I get out of here…?" She muttered, clutching her wand. "OH!" She pointed at the guard. "Kindness, overflowing like a river; I am the one you wish to please…" a silvery ethereal fluid floated through the air, slowly making its way to the female guard. As the fluid surrounded the guard, it was absorbed into her skin, slowly changing the guard's perception slightly. She turned around and spotted Clare.

"Hey hun, you want a nice set of clothes?" A female guard asked Clare. Clare nodded. The guard walked over and opened the door. She gave a sad look. "In fact, you could probably use a shower, too…would you like one, hun?"

"Huh?" She looked at the guard as she walked out. "Oh, yes please."

The guard smiled and led her into the female guard's locker room. "Hey hun, you wanna keep this stick?" She asked, pointing to Clare's wand.

"Oh yes, please." The guard punched in the door code and let Clare in.

"What size is your dress? I'll get you a nice uniform…"

"I wear a medium, but I think those suits are bigger than normal."

"I bet I can find you a small…" The guard said with a smile. As the guard walked off, she snickered to herself. "I didn't think I mastered that incantation yet…"

The magician quintet returned to the Rootcore, and Nick ran up to Udonna happily. "We have it back!" He shouted.

"Well done, my magicians-in-training." Udonna replied. Chip walked in slowly and made his way to the spiral staircase. "Charlie, are you alright?"

"It's just 'a flesh wound', Madame Udonna." Madison said jokingly. Chip grinned slightly as he made his way upstairs.

"Where's he going?" Xander asked.

"There are rooms for all of you upstairs, complete with all the comforts of home. Charlie was here before the rest of you, so he's already picked out his room, and you can bring anything you'd like into them. Consider the Rootcore to be a home away from home."

"Sounds like a nice thing you've got going here," Nick replied with a sad tone in his voice. "but I'm needed back in Roftwood. I have a job and rent to pay-"

"You belong here, Nick. It is your destiny."

"I can't just throw away the life I have back home to save the world and all-"

"If you do not live up to your destiny, your home will cease to exist." Udonna spoke with a serious and authoritative tone; the same type of tone Nick was trained to obey. However, he found himself wanting to obey it.

"I'm going to need to go back for Clare anyways…if I wish to stay, I'll let you know then."

"Nick, this isn't a game, nor is it just an overnight decision. You must be fully committed to the cause if you are going to stay. Do you understand this?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then sit for a moment." Nick took a seat in front of the red circle and sighed. Udonna grabbed her wand and waved it about. "Parle Parfait." She calmly said. She then pointed the tip of her wand at her mouth and began to speak. "Charlie, how are you feeling?"

"I'm taking care of my cuts and bruises. Do you need me for anything?" Chip's voice replied from the tip of the wand, sounding very much like it had come out of a walkie-talkie.

"Take care of yourself, then come downstairs. I have something I need to show you and the others."

"You got it!" Chip replied. Madison imagined him giving his strange salute again, along with a serious yet fanciful grin.

"Hey Maddie, whatcha thinking about?" Xander asked?

"Huh? Nothing."

"Well, 'nothing' sure brings a smile to your face." Xander replied.

"Was I smiling?" Madison lightly blushed. "Odd…"

"Children, while you wait, you may explore the Rootcore. You can pick out your rooms, or read some books and learn some spells…do whatever you'd like."

"I got a question…" Nick said.

"Yes, Nick?"

"Could I use that spell to communicate with the scanners at my station?"

"Scanners…? Station…?" Udonna seemed confused.

"Do you know what a radio is?" Nick asked.

"…I'm afraid I don't."

Nick sighed. Well, I'll figure it out myself. I'm off to get Cla-"

"Nick, you must stay here and wait for Charlie. I still have yet to read this passage…"

"He'll be taking a while, given to limp he had. Besides, that kid needs to rest."

"Kid? Kid? I highly doubt that I'm younger than you! I'm probably older!" Chip shouted through Udonna's wand.

"He heard me?"

"Of course I did!"

"Oh my…Parle Fina!" Udonna waved her wand, and the soft hum of static faded into nothingness.

"I'm heading off." Nick said. As he approached the doorway, he suddenly stopped. "How do I get my clothes back?"

"'Regalia Civi', Nick," Xander replied. "right girls?" They both nodded.

"Thanks." Nick said, finally rushing out the door.

"I hope he'll be okay by himself…" Xander said with a slight frown. "I'd hate to see the poor guy get bum rushed by demons…"

Nick returned back to Briarwood, changing back into his civilian clothes on the way. He panicked when he found a small crowd of children surrounding his motorcycle. Surprisingly, their clothes were similar to those of children in Roftwood; the boys wore hooded sweatshirts, lightly shaded blue jeans, plain tee shirts, and plain basketball shoes, and the girls wore long skirts and dresses. Briarwood was slowly becoming an enigma, filled with modern and ancient hybrids for no apparent reason.

"Hey!" He shouted, frightening them. "Hey, that's mine! Back away!"

"What is this…machine?" The smallest boy of the group asked as Nick finally reached his bike.

"It's a motorcycle." Nick said, kneeling in front of the kid.

"Doesn't that consume toxins and spew them into the air?" A girl with long blonde pigtails asked.

"Yeah, it does…"

"Why would you hurt the Earth like that?" A girl who appeared to be the sister of the previous girl asked.

"Well, it helps me get to places faster than walking."

"Can't you fly on a broomstick?" A boy from behind him asked.

"My town doesn't have any broomsticks." Nick said. "Well, we do, but we don't fly them."

"Your town is strange." The second boy replied.

"Don't they believe in magic?" A girl standing on the opposite side of the bike asked Nick.

"No. None of them do." Nick felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, a sort of guilt on behalf of his town.

"Do you believe?" The girl asked.

"I do, see?" He held up his wand.

"Then why don't you tell them that the strange machines you have can be replaced?" A third boy asked, who was standing on Nick's left side.

"They wouldn't understand…" Nick said, musing. He continued on, not minding the children who were listening. "In fact…it wasn't until I came here did I really understand, myself…"

"Maybe you could make them believe!" The kids said.

"Maybe I could…" Nick stood up. "Well, I have to go back to town. You kids should probably head off to school or something…"

"School?" The first girl asked.

"It's a place where kids go to learn…together…"

"We learn from our parents about things…" The girl replied. "why don't the parents teach the children?"

Nick sighed. "I really have to go back to town…"

"Here! If you'd like to talk to us, we'll give you a spell to call us!" The kids all pulled out small training wands. "Marauders Unite!" The childrens' wands glowed a bright white, then emitted their light towards Nick's wand. Nick's wand absorbed the light. The kids then smiled. "Marauders Assemble!" The wands shot off a pulse of white light, and the children smiled. They touched their wands together, dulling the light. They then touched their wands against Nick's and the light faded as well. "We want you to call us when you come back! We want to hear more about your town!" The second boy said. The rest of the kids gave a shout of approval.

"Okay…I promise that when I come back, I'll tell you kids more about my town."

"Yay!" The children smiled, then ran off. Nick smiled, got on his motorcycle, put on his helmet, and zipped off to Roftwood.

Nick arrived at the Roftwood border and was shocked to find the town overrun by the Hideacs from Briarwood's forest. Several cops ran up to him.

"Nick! After you left…the town was swarmed!" A female cop shouted.

"I need to get to the station…"

"Nick, you can't get through these guys!" Another officer said.

"Watch me!" Nick took off his helmet and turned his bike off. He then pulled out his wand and ran for the station.

Nick got two blocks away from the cops, then decided to test his theory out. "Parle Parfait!" Nick said, imagining the police scanner at the station. A static hum began to pulse out of the wand's tip. "Can you guys hear me? This is Officer Russell…"

"Russell, where the hell have you been? We've been trying to get a hold of you for hours!" The commissioner cried out.

"My radio's batteries died out. I'm talking to ya over a special feed. I'm gonna help you guys out…call the officers back to the station, I'll take care of these guys."

"Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"Just do it!"

"He really is out of his fucking mind!"

"Listen, I'm gonna try something crazy that just might work, okay?"

"Fine. Do it, and make it quick."

"You got it. Russell, signing out." He then pointed the wand away from his mouth. "Parle Fina." Nick then spotted several Hideacs. "Ha! Gotcha!" The Hideacs diverted their attention away from the cop hiding behind his car and stared at Nick. "Pyra Incero!" The tip of Nick's wand erupted into a stream of flame, which he used to turn his wand into a flamethrower. The cop stared in awe as Nick quickly turned the Hideacs into piles of burning flesh and bone.

The cop slowly slid out from behind his car and called out to Nick. "Hey Nick! …How'd you do that?"

"It's magic!" Nick replied. "Are you okay?"

"Just…scared, how the fuck did you do that? Truthfully?"

"With magic!" Nick said. He recognized the cop as he walked over; it was his friend and fellow officer Toby. Toby had joined to Roftwood Police Academy the same day as Nick, and he was just about as loyal and obedient as anybody Nick knew.

"Magic, honestly!"

"Bullshit, Nick!"

"Stick around and I'll show you more."

"Deal."

Nick continued his run toward the station with Toby following closely behind. A Hideac sprang up in front of them. Toby took out his pistol and pointed at the Hideac.

"Take that, you creepy brown freak!" He shouted, unloading several rounds into the Hideac. The hell demon groaned, but continued its advance.

"Oh shit! That should've worked!" Toby shouted, looking at his gun. "Did I use duds or something?"

"No Toby, it's bleeding…it's just immune to gunshot wounds, it seems." Nick replied. "No problem with that, though! Pyra Incero!" Nick quickly roasted the Hideac, then grabbed Toby and continued to run.

"Why're you heading for the station anyways, Nick? It's insane to leave when there're innocent people they could be eating!"

"They were already here, and they're coming back to finish the job they started, I think…" Nick said as he slowly formulated his theory. "That girl that DeMarzo brought in, Clare? She's a witch, and a very important one. They tried to kill her once, and I bet they're gonna try again. I gotta get her back to Briarwood fast. I bet the town'll be demon-free after we leave."

"I knew that girl was trouble…she was walking around her cell, muttering to her stick about a damn book…it was crazy…" Toby then looked at Nick's wand. "Did they suck you into their crazy cult too?"

"It's not a crazy cult…it's real!" Nick said. "Listen, have I ever believed in something that wasn't genuine before?"

"Well, not really…I guess there's gotta be some truth to this…" Toby said as they approached the doors to the Roftwood Police Station. The doors, however, were locked from the inside.

"Shit…" Nick muttered. "Parle Parfait." Nick connected to Vida's wand, then began to speak. "Vida, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear Nick. How are you?"

"Is there a spell for unlocking doors?"

"Well, how is the door locked?"

"How the hell are you talking to her with that stick?" Toby asked.

"Ah, I see you're still in Roftwood…" Vida joked.

"The door's locked from the inside, presumably with the bolted keylock."

"Keylock opener…um, lemme see…Maddie, boss, know how to unlock keyhole doors?"

"Opening a locked door with a keyhole? 'Portis reles' is what he's looking for, I think." Xander replied.

"Did you hear that, Nick?" Vida asked.

"Gotcha."

"How's Roftwood, anyways?" Vida asked cheerfully.

"Overrun with those demons." Nick replied with a sour tone.

"We'll be there soon to help out, then." Vida said. "We'll leave the returning of Clare to you."

"Got it. I'll see you guys later. Parle fina." He waved his wand slightly, cutting the communication. He then pointed at the keyhole. "Portis reles." The lock clicked back, and the door slightly opened. "Heh. Awesome." Toby stared in awe. "Let's go, Toby."

The two ran inside to find nearly two dozen Hideacs running about. Several cops lay dead on the ground, and the commissioner began to glare at Nick. "Russell, Langston, get this thing away from me!" He shouted. Nick pointed his wand at the Hideac.

"Boss, you may wanna duck." Nick said. The commissioner ducked, and as the Hideacs began to close in, Nick incinerated them all. The commissioner looked at Nick, then at his wand. "Did those things get the Clare girl?" Nick asked.

"They chased her into the cell wing. Why?"

"If I take her out of the town, they'll leave too. Trust me on this."

"Well…I guess I don't have a choice now, do I? Langston, man the doors and lock them. Russell…go do whatever you just did."

"Yessir!" Toby ran to the doors and began trying to barricade the doors while Nick ran down the hallway leading to the cell wing.

"Clare!" Nick shouted as he ran around. Not a sign of life was found, not even a dead body. "Clare!" Inspiration struck him, and he decided to try and communicate with Clare using her wand.

"Clare, can you hear me?" Nick said.

"…Who is this?"

"Oh, thank god you're okay! It's me, Officer Russell."

Clare screamed happily. "I thought you'd be the one! I thought you would be the Red Magician I saw! Ah, I'm so happy!"

"Where are you?"

"I'm in Cell Block C."

"I'll be there soon!"

Nick ran into Cell Block C, where he found Clare locked in a cell, curled up in a back corner, and dressed like a police officer. In front of her cell were half a dozen Hideacs trying to claw their way into the cell. Nick took them out with a well-timed flame, sending them running for a few moments while they melted down into noting more than molten piles of charred corpses.

"Nick! Thank goodness!" Clare said, standing up and walking to the front door. "I…I locked myself in."

"No problem. Portis Reles." The door swung open, releasing Clare.

"I forgot that one…how did I remember how to lock doors, yet not how to unlock them…?" Clare sighed.

"Think about it later, because we gotta get the hell out of here."

"Wait! Regalia Magi!" She transformed her uniform and Nick's clothes into magic robes, complete with their hats. Clare's ribbons and trimmings were a pristine white enchanted with a mystic sparkle to them, like a flattened chain of opals.

"We have little time to waste!" Clare said, grabbing Nick's free hand.

Xander quickly spotted Nick's bike near a parked cop car as he and Vida flew over Roftwood. Vida landed, letting Xander off of her, then quickly reverted to her human form. "I am never becoming a broom again." Vida muttered as she stood up, spitting out a few stray straws that lingered. A few cops stood up and surrounded them, pistols drawn.

"Who are you?" One of the cops asked.

"What are you?" Another cop asked.

"Hi, I'm Xander. This lovely lady is my friend and employee, Vida. We're looking for the guy who owns that thing." Xander said, pointing to Nick's bike.

"Nick went to the station. Be careful though, there's some nasty thi-" The cop then noticed their wands. "Oh, more of you guys. Great."

"Okay, thanks." Vida said as she grabbed Xander's arm. She could feel the cops' distrust pouring off them and decided it would be best if they just left. They ran up the main road, and Vida quickly disposed of several Hideacs with her Wind Spear. Xander turned to her as they stopped at the corner of a building to catch their breaths.

"I wanna try a spell I read about…"

"Give it a try."

"Well, it's for use against dem-oh! There's one!" Xander pointed his wand at the blacktop road and smiled.

"Stein Stena!"

The blacktop split as a slab of bedrock shot upwards into a wall, and as Xander ran forwards, the wall surged forward like a wave. Once it connected with the Hideac, it tossed the poor demon upwards. As Xander stopped running, the wall stopped as well, ending up directly under the Hideac. The demon's weight did all the weight as the Hideac's spine was snapped in half as it landed on top of the wall, killing it instantly.

Xander dropped his wand to his side, causing the bedrock to sink back underneath the blacktop. "That was better than I thought it would be."

"That's still not as cool as my spells." Vida replied.

"Whatever, Vi, let's just find Nick."

"Wait, I'll call him up." She used the Wand Signal spell to call Nick up. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the station…Clare and I are trying to find a way to get out…"

"What's the station look like?" Xander asked as Vida ran up to him. He had linked his wand to Vida's temporarily for communication purposes.

"Big brick building, door's been barricaded shut, has 'Roftwood Police Station' written on it…"

"We're right across the street from there, Nick. We'll be there in a jiffy." Xander said. "Parle Fina." The pair ran up to the doors, and with one well-aimed Wind Spear, the barricade and the door was torn into, allowing their entry.

"Nick?" Vida called out.

"We're here!" Nick said as he and Clare rounded the corner.

"Sorry for the damages." Vida said to the commissioner. The group the turned to leave.

Toby stood by the door, staring. As Nick, Clare, Vida, and Xander began to make their way out the door, Toby coughed to get their attention.

"Yeah, Toby?" Nick asked.

"How…how are you doing all of this?" Toby said.

"Because I believe in magic." Nick said with a smile. "Alright, let's go before the town gets wiped out." The four then ran for Nick's bike.

Toby looked upwards towards the ceiling, then walked out just in time to see Nick and Clare drive off with Vida the broom and Xander trailing not too far above them. He walked out a few steps and noticed that what was left of the Hideac invasion was now walking in the direction the four left in. "Well, looks like he was right." Toby muttered to himself as he looked back up at the sky. "Hey, I believe in magic! Let me have some cool magic powers too!" He said, spreading his arms out. He waited for a moment, then groaned. "Why not me? Nick gets all the cool powers, and not me? Unfair!"

As they arrived at the Rootcore, the rain began to pour down as night drew near. Nick decided that he would let the Marauders rest for the day. Madison happily greeted the group with a full course vegetarian dinner and a smile as they walked in. Chip was curled up in front of the fireplace in the far corner of the room; he obviously preferred the floor in front of a fire over his bed when it came to choice sleeping spots.

"I knew you guys would back around this time, so I made everybody dinner." Madison said cheerily.

"Maddie, you know I won't eat anything you make unless you killed something to put in it." Vida said, walking over to the bookcase.

"The plants gave their lives for this meal…isn't that good enough for you?"

"Nope. There's gotta be an animal in my meal somewhere…"

"Hard-boiled eggs?"

"Meat, Maddie. There must be meat in my meal."

"I'm not all that hungry…prison food really killed my appetite." Clare said, holding her stomach and giving a sad look.

"Sorry to hear that, Clare." Madison said. "Well, you're here at the Rootcore, so you'll get nothing but healthy food now."

"Yeah, so healthy, rabbits'll eat it." Vida flatly added. Madison looked at her and frowned. "Anyways, what's up with the redhead sleeping down here in front of the fire? I feel like petting him; he reminds me of Lupin." Vida said, referring to the old wolfhound that Madison once owned that had a habit of sleeping by fires.

"He came down to see everybody after you guys left for Roftwood, so he decided to take a nap upstairs. He came back down and started up a fire because he said his bed was uncomfortable."

"A Wind Scout never stays in one place for this long…it's obviously taking him a while to adjust." Udonna said, joining the group downstairs. "Oh Madison, that looks lovely!" She said as she spotted the dinner Madison had made. "I feel guilty that I've already eaten tonight…ah! Clare! You're here at last!"

"Thanks to your amazing magicians, I am." Clare said, looking at Xander, Vida, and Nick.

"I'll eat." Xander said, sitting at his appropriate spot at the circular table.

"I'll eat, too. I'm starved, and even the salad's looking good." Nick said, also taking his appropriate seat.

"Well, at least dinner won't go to waste." Madison said with a smile as she sat down. "Dig in."

Nick and Xander put some oil and vinegar on their salads as Madison just dived right in and ate the salad plain. She smiled as she watched the others eat. "I'm glad you two ate with me…" Clare and Udonna began to converse about the Xenotome, and Vida was happily sitting on the couch with a spell book in front of the fireplace and was using Chip as a footrest. Nobody seemed to expect the events that happened within the next few seconds.

Nick began to choke and cough harshly, as did Xander. Madison stood up, unsure of what to do. She walked over to Nick, who was now coughing up a bloody foam. Vida looked up, and as soon as she spotted Xander falling out of his chair, she ran over to the table. She examined the oil and vinegar jars and panicked. Vida then ran for the antitoxin cabinet, fetching a bottle and running back to the table. She first poured some of the purple fluid down Xander's throat, then she did the same for Nick. Moments after they had ingested the anti-toxin, they stopped foaming and slowly returned to normal.

"Madison, what were you thinking when you picked this up!" Vida asked, thrusting the vinegar bottle into Madison's face. In fading ink, the bottle was labeled 'dragon bile'. "You could have melted their insides!"

"I didn't see the ink on the bottle! It's nearly gone! Besides, what were you doing, sitting that bottle near my food?"

"I didn't put that there!"

Chip slowly woke up and rubbed his eyes. "Hey, hey, hey…what's going on…?" He mumbled as he got up.

"She nearly killed Nick and Xander with dragon bile!"

"It was an accident!" Madison shouted.

"Girls! I have sensitive hearing!" Chip said as he walked over to them. Nick and Xander had already limped upstairs to rest.

"Sorry…" Vida replied. "But Madison mixed up this jar of dragon bile with a bottle of vinegar."

"It happens!" Madison said.

"I'm going up to my room. All this yelling is giving me a headache." Chip said, heading for the spiral staircase.

"I think I'll to take a walk in the rain…" Vida said. Walking in stormy weather was one of the only things that calmed Vida down besides making potions and exerting her emotions against the opposing party. She firmly sat her witch's hat on her head and walked out.

The night lingered on, and people wandered around the Rootcore. Everyone soon retreated to their rooms as the moon rose high above the trees. Vida never returned during the night, and Madison became insomniatic and guilt-ridden over it. Having her sister, who loved her and protected her with every ounce of her being, completely turn against her and have to leave because of her was a shot through the heart to Madison.

A thunderstorm began to brew around one in the morning, and Madison made sure that the fireplace was the only source of light. The last thing the group needed tonight was for the Rootcore to be struck by a bolt of lightning while they were asleep. A sudden and deafening roar of thunder rolled across the sky, and Madison heard a scream and a crash come from upstairs. Somebody had fallen out of their bed, by the sound of it. A door opened, and somebody began to walk downstairs.

Chip nervously sauntered down the flight of stairs, clinging to the banister as if it were his lifeline. Another thunderclap crashed, causing him to freeze up and whimper. Madison got up and walked over to him.

"Are you okay Chip?" She asked. He looked over at her.

"Why aren't you asleep?" He asked in response. His voice was a blend of fear, shock, and mild annoyance.

"I can't sleep. I can't sleep when Vida's mad at me." She reached the step below where he stood.

Another thunderclap sounded, and he nearly leaped on top of her. The following thunderclap, which came mere seconds later, led him to yelp and cling to Madison. Suddenly realizing the situation, he let go and shoved her out of the way. "I'm sorry…"

"Hey!" Madison said, chasing him. "That was uncalled for." Another bolt sounded, and Chip dived underneath the table.

"Just leave me be!" He cried out as he curled up in a ball underneath the table.

"Chip…" She stopped in front of the dais, unsure if she should approach the table or not. She had never seen him like this before; he was usually so confident and fearless. She was afraid that trying to talk to him would provoke a negative reaction. Chip lightly whimpered as the thunderclaps got louder; the whole situation wasn't looking good, and it didn't seem like he was going to move for quite a while.

She decided that it'd be best to give him a glass of hot cocoa from the jug she had made for herself earlier, since she couldn't think of any thing else to do. She levitated an empty mug from the cabinet down below the table, then pointed her wand at the jug of hot cocoa. "Hydrae Movrum." The hot cocoa slowly followed the path of her wand as she moved it from the jug to the mug on the floor. "If you're going to be down there a while, you might as well have something to drink."

"Is it poison?" Chip asked, nervously joking. Madison didn't respond as she walked back to the fireplace and the couch and book that awaited her.

Chip sighed and took a sip of the hot cocoa, grinning a bit. It was sweet and bitter, creamy and slick, robust and spicy, like somebody dropped a jalapeno and a cup of black coffee into the mix before serving. Chip quickly swallowed the mix down; missing dinner was surely worth having the room to finish the hot cocoa. He sat and sighed, trying to forget about the thunder and lightning and the obvious blow to Madison's ego he had flung. She was trying to be nice, after all. He frowned, staring at the empty mug.

He slowly slid out from under the table, feeling childish. He was supposed to never be afraid of anything, wasn't he? Well, mostly anything. He feared Vankyuria, for one thing. Well, he didn't fear her as much as he feared what she could do to him. He had lived long enough to learn that fear was a beast that, uncaged, would always turn on its owner, but he hadn't lived long enough to keep the cage closed. Perhaps now was the time to work on things outside of curbing emotions…

Chip walked over to the fireplace, setting the mug on top of the mantle. Madison refused to look up; she was trying to resist the urge to cry, and she knew looking at Chip would do it. She waited until he sat next to her on the couch until she spoke to him.

"Come back for more?" She sarcastically spat.

"I…" Chip swallowed, trying to untie the knot currently residing in his throat. This was his weakness; surrendering, caving in, no matter how small the loss to his ego. "I tried to be funny."

"Well, it was horrible."

"Yeah…I know." Chip looked at the fire, unsure of how to go about things now. Madison was surely upset at him now.

"…Are you okay?" Madison asked, marking the page and closing it before setting it on the table next to her. "You wanna talk about anything?"

Chip weakly smiled. "Damnit, you're too kind…"

"Well, it's my grace." She replied. "I'm the nice sister. I forgive and forget."

"I see." Chip's hands were still shaking from the lingering storm. "…do you think the storm's been caused by the Infershia?"

"The who?" Madison asked.

"Infershia, the demon legions from Hell."

"Oh." Madison felt stupid not knowing the proper name of her enemies. "Maybe." A moment of silence washed over them as the storm began to rage. She sighed lightly and began to speak nervously. "Are you feeling better?"

"…no." Chip then eyed the jug of cocoa, then looked at Madison. "That was a good drink."

"I make it myself. If you want some more, that's no problem." Madison got up and grabbed Chip's empty mug. "I'm glad somebody besides me likes it…I hate letting it go to waste."

"Well, I'm glad I can help get rid of it all. I haven't eaten all day, really, so I'm pretty much capable of drinking that entire jug if you want."

"Honestly? That's amazing."

"Not too much for me. 'Eat light, pack light, travel fast.' One of a few mottos we Wind Scouts live by." Chip replied, smiling forlornly.

"Ah…" Madison sighed as she gave him his mug. He quickly went to work on wolfing down the contents.

Chip took a breather after a few moments, then looked down. "You know…I don't think you meant to poison them. You're too nice."

"…Too nice?" Madison asked.

"You give too much to people. It's nice…but it's also self-destructive."

"Yeah…especially with Vida." Madison sighed. "I don't think she appreciates what I do for her."

"Vida seems to be your opposite; too mean." He took a sip from the mug before sitting it on the floor. A lightning bolt illuminated the room, and Chip winced as he grabbed his side. He flinched, kicking the mug over. He noticed the mug tip over and apologized through his teeth.

"Don't apologize! Are you okay?" She used her Water Moving spell to pull up all the cocoa that had seeped into the floor as she kneeled down in front of Chip.

"Do you want me to do something for you…?"

"No, just go…" Chip painfully replied.

"…But I can't leave you in pain."

Chip sighed. "…Please?"

Madison frowned. "Fine." As she placed the now-refilled mug beside him, she turned and began to go to her room. As she approached the stairs on the first landing, a thunderclap so loud rang out, that it could have only meant a tree exploded on impact.

"Madison…" Chip murmured.

"Coming." She replied, smiling weakly and walking back downstairs. She slowly walked down and sat back down on the couch. Chip was now death gripping the mug as the storm rolled on.

"The Infershia have a nice sense of humor…" Chip said harshly as Madison opened up her book.

"Vida's been out for a long time…" Madison said after a few minutes of silence.

"This storm is rough…all that rain, she must be soaked."

"Vida's good at making sure she's okay. She's good on foot and on a broom…"

"She shouldn't be flying in this weather…" Chip said with a hollow tone. Madison looked over at Chip; he suddenly looked like he was nothing more than a life-sized wax statue. She wondered what made him close up so suddenly.

"Are you…okay?" He sat there in silence, slowly letting the mug slide from his hands until he dropped it, shattering the mug into pieces. Madison focused the cocoa into a ball of liquid and tossed it into the fire, partially dimming it. He didn't even seem to notice that he had dropped the mug; it was if he had traveled into another world.

"Chip?" Madison said. "Chip, you're scaring me." She kneeled in front of him and began to pick up the pieces of the mug. She threw them away in a waste bin; and Chip still hadn't moved, though he had grown pale. She kneeled in front of Chip and began to watch his eyes; they were shaking back and forth as if he were sleeping with his eyes opened, never blinking. His breathing hitched; he looked panic-stricken as he tensed up. She leaned in and grabbed his arms to steady him, and a jolt shot through her body.

_It was pitch black except for the fires all around. A cloaked figure drew closer. Anemia set in as the blood poured from opened wounds. The sky rained down burning parts of trees and bodies. The flames, consuming what was left, nearly encircled the area in a ring of destruction. A scream from nearby, almost alien in sound, mutilated in pain. The cloaked being drew closer still. The pain that refused to come before began to sear through every part of the body, forcing out a bellow of anguish, a requiem of mortality, as the cloaked being approached…_

Chip and Madison cried out as a loud crash sounded, signaling that somebody had fallen out of bed upstairs. Madison let go of Chip and crawled away from him, sobbing. Moments later, Chip snapped out of his trance. He looked at Madison, who was crying as she curled up in a ball.

"Madison…? What's…going on…?"

"What did I see though you…?" She whimpered. "What was all of it…?"

Chip sat and stared at her, watching her wallow in misery. He tried to think of how to explain everything without degenerating into Madison's current condition.

"It…it was storming out, not long ago…" Chip began to say, speaking barely above a whisper to hide his cracking voice. "It was my sister and I…and it was my stupid suggestion to take to the skies…and…and it was only rain…she loved the rain…and it was…it was my idea to fly to the west…the west had a warm air pocket that would send us sailing forever…and it was like, suddenly, it got violent…and I tried to catch up to her…she was going so fast…and a night like this…with the constant thunder and lightning…" He fell silent as Madison began to calm down. After a minute or so, Madison wiped her eyes and sniffled a bit before crawling up to the couch next to Chip. "…I fear that I'm next, and I have so much to do before I go…" Chip said in his whispering voice. Madison sighed and embraced him softly, pulling him close.

"It reminds me of my mother…" Madison began to say, patting his back lightly. "Vida hates me telling this story…but it fits this situation so well…our mother was trying to teach me how to fly on a broom when I was really little…and we were high up…and the wind gusted and tossed us off…the broom couldn't catch us both fast enough, and my mother hit the ground while I managed to grab the broom in time. My mother…she was never the same again…she just slowly fell into her grave, day by day…I hate to fly, because I'm afraid that I will fall next…" She sighed, hoping that her little story was helping. "Vida said I shouldn't blame myself, because it's what the Heavenly Saints wish…but I do…because I always feel that if I had done something different…if I had refused to fly that day…if I was the one who hit the ground…maybe, just maybe…my mom would still be here. But these are things that happen that we must accept. These things always happen for a reason, right, or why else would they happen?"

Chip smiled meekly. "You are truly a Blue Magician…" he began to mutter. "'A soul as pure as water, healing the souls of those around them…'"

"Thank you…I needed to hear that after today."

Nick and Xander, who had quietly snuck out of bed, watched from the top of the staircase where nobody downstairs could spot them. Xander rubbed his right shoulder as he nursed the pain from the fall out of it while he began to whisper.

"I think the nutcase's really warming up to Maddie." Xander said.

"Well, she's a decent girl…nothing special, but then again, nothing horrible either…besides the incident earlier." Nick whispered back as he walked back to his bedroom. "I'm going back to bed."

"Sleep well." Xander said with a smile.

"Will do."

The night eased on, and the morning brought a calm to the skies. Madison woke up to the smell of a warm stew sitting over a fire. She picked the book off of her face and sat up. Chip was hunched over the fireplace, attempting to cook with the old 'cauldron in the fireplace' technique. The sun was hardly up, she noticed, as the fire and Chip's wand were still the dominant sources of light.

"Good morning." Chip said in a somber tone. "Sorry if I woke you, but Udonna doesn't want me starting fires outside for security reasons, nor does she want me going out alone." His tone was reminiscent of Xander when they weren't at the bakery; a less authoritative and more gentler tone.

"I see." Madison nodded. "So…how're you feeling?"

"A little better. I actually fell asleep while it was still storming out. I'm surprised."

"That's great to hear." Madison sat up and sighed. "I wonder if Vida's okay."

"Well, I didn't hear her come in…" Chip said solemnly. "I'm sure she's okay, though. She seems like she can handle herself quite well on her own."

"Yeah, she's a tough girl…she's trying to be mom, really."

"We can't be our parents, even when we slowly become them."

Nick and Xander ran down the stairs, apparently having a race of sorts.

"Maddie, we're late!" Xander yelled as he tied his apron around his waist.

"I gotta get back to Roftwood, so outta my way!" Nick shouted as he began fixing his jacket.

"Guys, slow down!" Clare shouted from the top of the stairs. "The Rootcore isn't a playhouse!"

"But I'm late!" Xander and Nick yelled back simultaneously. They stopped and looked at each other for a moment, then went back to running down the stairs.

"Xander, don't you own the bakery you work at?" Clare asked.

"Yeah, I do, and I hate being late because it's both profit and customer loyalty that I'm losing. Now Maddie, go get ready and I'll hold down the fort while you're gone."

"But I just woke up…" Madison groaned.

"Well then, have Vi…wait, is Vida even here?" Xander asked, looking around.

"Yeah, I didn't hear her come up the stairs, and she's not down here…" Clare replied.

"I didn't hear her come in, so she's definitely not here." Chip added. "I wonder where she is…"

As soon as Chip finished his sentence, Vida slunk in, soaked to the bone. She moped in slowly, slouched slightly, as if the life had been drained out of her.

"Vida!" Madison said, a smile dancing upon her face. She ran up to hug Vida, but Vida brushed past her as if she didn't exist and sat down in her chair at the table. She pulled something out from her cloak sleeve and began to stare at it.

"Vi, what's up?" Xander asked, walking down to her with a concerned look on his face. Xander wasn't used to seeing Vida looking like this; in fact, there was never a day where she wasn't grinning to some degree of mischief or delight. Her grins were usually a mix of the two, mostly more on the side of mischief.

"I made a horrible mistake…" She softly muttered.

"What did you do?" Madison asked, walking up behind her. Vida held up what she was holding; a charred large feather. It was huge, too big to be a normal creature. Xander, Nick, and Chip gathered around Vida as well, staring at it.

"That's a hippogryph's feather, isn't it?" Chip asked.

"It is." Vida replied. "I found this near the crash site of the things I shot down the other night during the attack. The demons wouldn't use hippogryphs in their attacks; in fact, hippogryphs despise demons. I took down innocent creatures. I killed them. I killed them…" Vida's face turned red as she began to cry.

Xander, Nick, and Madison consoled her as Chip watched them. He sighed and looked down, then walked out. Madison noticed and followed him out.

"Where are you going?" Madison asked Chip. He stopped in his tracks.

"It's overwhelming, the emotions. I can't be in there. I need to go out for a walk, okay?"

"Doesn't Udon-"

"I'll be fine. I won't be long." Chip replied as he began to walk off again.

"I hope Chip'll be okay…" Madison sighed.

"Madison! Get ready!" Xander yelled. Madison sighed, as she had a feeling that the day was going to be a long and tiring one.

Sadly, Madison's premonitions were right; the bakery was swamped with orders that day. Citizens of Briarwood apparently had collectively decided to stock up on essentials before the next storm was to hit.

Nick visited around one in the afternoon sighing and bearing a pink slip. "So much for being the hero…" He muttered.

Madison managed to cheer him up with a free muffin. "We could use an extra hand. You don't need to be any good at baking; in fact, if you could just do a few easy things for us, you'd be a hero to us." She said with a smile.

"Well, it's better than no job at all…" Nick replied.

The door opened once more, causing everybody to turn around.

"Um…hi." Chip said shyly as he walked in.

In his attempt to blend in with the civilians of Briarwood, he conjured up a strange looking outfit: a pastel pink beater with a wing design painted on, a dark yellow vest with a yellow, orange, and pink feather hanging down on each side, a pair of plain grey jeans, and a pair of brown leather shoes. He walked up to Madison, who then proceeded to blush and drop the muffin tray she was carrying.

"Nice pants, Chip." Madison said, stuttering slightly over her words.

"I detect sarcasm." Chip replied.

"Then you're detecting right."

"I knew I screwed up somehow…"

"They look quite tight on you…and they're high-watered quite a bit."

"Yeah, they are just a bit, aren't they? See, I knew I screwed up somewhere…" With a wave of his wand, Chip's jeans became better fitting, dropping down to the appropriate length as well. "There, better?"

"Much." Madison coughed as she bent over and began picking the muffins off the floor.

"You need help down there?" Chip asked, looking downwards.

"No, she's fine." Vida replied sharply, bending down to help Madison. "You've done enough helping for the day."

"Well, sorry for walking in…" Chip said, taking a seat next to Nick. "What's Vida's problem?"

"From watching her, I get the impression that she's either PMS'ing or she's just a bitch to everybody." Nick replied. "…want some of this muffin?"

"No thanks. I'll pass." Chip replied, holding up his hand.

All was cheerful on the surface, but the Hellpit was fuming with chaos.

"Why can't I leave!" A voice from the throne of the Hellpit rattled out. The half zombie, half machine monstrosity began spewing steam out of its giant piston-pumping mechanical horn atop its head and it swung its large blade around wildly and stomped in a childish hissy fit.

"Branken-sama…" Nai groaned. "A fit will not help the situation…"

"It won't help…" Mae mirrored.

"Shut it, you hag!" Branken shouted, swinging his blade at the two girls.

"Leave Vankyuria alone, Branken. She does not have the power to bring you along to the surface world with her." Wolzard said, standing in front of Nai and Mae.

"But you do, Wolzard! Why do you not send me!"

"My power can only transport myself. I have been weakened from stagnation in this miserable dump."

"My Emperor Sword Killfang is a starved beast, and you're depriving it of its promised meal of human flesh!" He shouted, jumping off his throne and lunging at Wolzard. Wolzard's perfect timing blocked the Killfang from making a crushing blow at the last second.

"Zazzado!" Wolzard cried out, sending a piece of his shield shooting upwards and revealing a crimson shaded glass circle that gleamed in the meager illumination of the Hellpit. The crimson glass shimmered, then released dark waves of energy that howled forwards, taking the form of wolf's heads bearing their fangs as they shot out, slamming into Branken's torso and tossing him back.

"Damn you, Wolzard!" Branken shouted, catching his balance. "Perhaps my Killfang shall feast on your flesh instead…"

Nai and Mae retreated into her hideaway as Wolzard and Branken continued to duke it out. As she arrived at her chamber, a young vampire arose from the floor, bearing a silver tray. The vampire wore a masked helmet that imitated Vankyuria's head and hid her own face. The rest of her outfit was also a mock-up of Vankyuria's outfit, and a well-done one to boot. Even from up close, one would confuse the vampire servant from the real Vankyuria…until she talked. Then it would be obvious that her lips did not move, pointing out that it was a mask instead of the real face.

"Take that costume off, Morrigan." Nai said.

"Take it off." Mae mirrored.

"Yes, my queen!" Morrigan replied, snapping with her right hand. Her outfit disappeared in a puff of black smoke, revealing a black vampire robe and collar outfit. The girl was so pale that her blue veins lightly colored the surface of her face and skin. Her long hair was pulled back in an Amazon-style ponytail, and her fangs jutted out over her bottom lip. Her deadened azure eyes stared at Nai and Mae, enjoying the sight of their owner's queen.

"Does this please you, my mistress?" Morrigan asked and Nai and Mae pulled themselves back into their true form. Vankyuria took the silver chalice from the silver tray, drinking down the crimson contents as she sat down at her throne.

"Of course, Morrigan. Your true form is pleasing to my eyes; your skin is such a lovely shade of white, and your eyes shine of obedience. I will commend you, however, on perfecting your imitation of my form, however fake the face looks."

"Thank you, my mistress!" Morrigan replied, bowing in respect.

"Now, give me your report of the surface world." Vankyuria said, licking a bit of the blood off of the chalice's rim.

"Mistress, the magicians are angry at each other…especially at the blue one!"

"Mmm…the blue one…she is causing strife? Interesting. Now tell me…you told me before of a…bonding between the blue one and the Wind Scout last evening…"

"Yes, Mistress. They had a moment of sad-story-telling between each other…and tears were shed, my mistress…I think he is growing fond of her company."

"I want you to watch the Blue Magician…knowing about her would be a good thing, I think…she may come to be an advantage…" Vankyuria seemed delighted to hear such touching news.

"Yes, my mistress. I will make note of every little thing about the Blue Magician as well as the Wind Scout." Morrigan bowed, then walked into a back area of the room.

Back at the Rootcore, night was falling, and none of the magicians were in the mood to learn new skills except Chip, who was slaving away over a cauldron set at the top of the elevated platform leading to the staircase.

"Chip, what are you burning?" Vida asked, giving him a foul look.

"I'm trying to make a potion from this book…" Chip said. "I'm trying very hard…"

"Try harder…it reeks in here…" Xander commented, burying his face in a pastry book that Nick had brought from Roftwood. "Oh! This is a doughnut!" Xander cheerily said. "…it looks horrid. You use grease and everything on it…you fry it? Ugh…how could you eat this?"

"Shut up, man…" Nick snipped back, trying to sleep at the circular table.

"Hey Chip…you need any plant ingredients?" Madison asked. "My garden looks lovely from all this rain…"

"Sure…if you have spearmint and lavender…"

"Spearmint…lavender…" Vida mouthed as she began running the list of potions through her mind that she had ever made.

"I think I brought some with me…"Madison checked her pockets, pulling out small herb packets left and right until she pulled out two small baggies that made her smile. "Ah, here we are!" She handed both bags to Chip. "Use as much as you want."

"Thanks!" Chip said with a smile. He poured out specific amounts of each packet into his cauldron, causing it to bubble and foam. "I think that helped out." Chip replied, handing the bags back to Madison. The potion now smelled like spearmint.

"Glad I can help." Madison replied with a smile, walking up to her room.

An hour later, after everybody had headed up to bed, Chip yawned and decided to head up himself, letting the potion simmer overnight. Vida, who had been hiding in the confines of her room waiting for Chip to sleep, tiptoed down to the cauldron, and to the potions manual next to it.

"Livre Leve." She said. The book flung open, stopping at the Table of Contents. "Show me potions with spearmint and lavender in them."

The majority of the potions listed disappeared, leaving only a small few on the list.

"Hm…Sleeping Potion, don't think he needs that, and besides, what a horrible first potion a Sleeping Potion is. Accelerated Healing Potion? Too advanced for him; I don't think he's that stupid to start it as a first project. Boil Eradicator? Highly unlikely…that one's an intermediate one anyways. Hm, the Memory Amplifier. It's a pretty basic potion…and if you burn it, it reeks…sounds about right. Let's see what he's doing…" She looked into the cauldron as she flipped to the page containing the potion recipe. "Oh! He's missing some stuff, I think…" She looked at the ingredients list, then into the pot. "Something's wrong with this potion…hm…did he use the wrong grade of lavender…? No, can't be…hm…"

The thick black mixture stared back at her menacingly. "Oh, I see! He's missing the wormwood root, the ginko root, and the powdered lizard tail…it's not the right color without it…" Vida ran over and grabbed the ingredients, then quickly added them, stirring furiously. The contents of the cauldron turned steel grey, then began to hiss and bubble. "Augh…he burned this too badly…well, I gotta try and salvage it for him anyways." She began to stir softly, calming the brew down and bringing it to a soft boil. The potion slowly mellowed out to a pastel purple shade. "There, all better now." Vida said, smiling. "This is why even a rookie can do it. It always bounces back from a burning." Vida chuckled to herself. "I'll just never tell him I fixed it for him. Let him gloat." She looked at the recipe once more. "Now I should let this boil for a few hours on its own…I'm sure he'll wake up soon to continue onwards." She chuckled and walked upstairs.

Chip walked down several hours later and stared at his potion. He then looked at his potion chart. "Hm…the color's a bit off…but it smells better now…well, it will have to do." Chip grabbed a chalice from the cabinet and ladled a bit of the potion into the chalice and walked over to his seat at the table. He took a swig from the chalice and gagged, spitting out what was left in his cup and tossing the chalice across the room.

"Ugh, that was horrible! Something's wrong…" Chip said, holding his head. He coughed a bit as his body grew numb and cold. "Did I…ugh…"Chip coughed and fell out of the chair. He slowly faded in an out for a few minutes, then all became normal. Chip sat up, feeling flushed. "I need to take a walk…" Chip got up off the floor and attempted to walk out. He swayed a bit, and leaned against the walls to steady himself until he was balanced enough to leave under his own power. He tossed his hood up as he ventured out into the forest.

_Madison found herself outside in the storm. The darkness was overwhelming, and the rain soaked into her robes. The only source of true light was forest nymphs giving off a mild light underneath Madison's feet._

"_Hello…?" She cried out. Nobody responded. She saw a figure out in the distance; a body surrounded by three giant white bats. The smallest of the three bats hissed at her while retreating back towards the body. The other two were feeding on the body around the neck and side. "Go away!" She pointed her wand, emitting a wave of light and making the bats flee. _

_She ran to the body's side, and found that the body was Chip. "Chip!" She shouted, running out to him. He knelt down to help him up. His eyes shot open and glared at her with an icy blue stare. He opened his mouth, baring fangs and hissing. Madison screamed and blasted him with a beam of light driving him away. She got up and began to go back the way she came, only to find Vida, Xander, and Nick standing behind her. _

"_Chip! Chip! He's been turned into a vampire!" Madison shouted at them. They glared at her with the same dead blue eyes, also baring vampire fangs and hissing. She screamed and pointed her wand, driving away the trio with another beam of light. She ran north through the forest._

"_Somebody help me!" Madison screamed as she ran. She tripped and crashed onto the ground. Her forest nymph light gave out, leaving her completely in the dark. As she heard a large being approaching, she pointed her wand at the sky. "Hydrae Lumiere!" She shouted, causing the water round her to illuminate. The large winged beast spotted Madison and charged her position. Just as it reared up to crush her with his menacing talon, she braced for impact and screamed._

Madison woke up screaming and clutching her sheets. He gasped for air and decided to grab her notepad and pen.

"Must…write down…everything I saw…" Madison said as she frantically scribbled down everything she could remember. She then tossed both to the floor and ran to Chip's bedroom door.

"Chip!" She shouted, beating on the door. Vida walked out of her room, jarred slightly from the racket. Xander and Nick followed lead, grabbing Madison's arm to keep her from beating down his door.

"He's sleeping, Maddie…calm down." Xander said.

"I think he's in danger, Xander. I saw it in a dream…you know better than I do how dreams work for blue magicians!"

"Listen, dreams aren't always premonitions, Maddie. Sometimes they're fears manifesting in your sleep. Now go back to bed."

"He's probably working on his potion if he's not answering his door." Vida said.

"Let's go bring you downstairs so you can see him, c'mon." Nick said with a smile. The trio led Madison downstairs, where a disgruntled Clare was cleaning the potion off the floor.

"What happened down here?" Vida asked.

"Why don't you ask that idiotic redhead when you see him?" Clare snapped back. "I've been trying to clean this crud out of the floor for the last few hours!"

"Chip's not here?" Madison asked, growing pale.

"Nope. I checked his room about an hour ago to ask him what the hell he's been making for the last half a day. Why, you guys haven't seen him?"

"Oh no…" Madison said, dropping to her knees and covering her mouth with her left hand. She looked up to Xander with shaking and tearing eyes. "Only my fears, Xander…?"


	3. Enemies Within I

"_Only my fears, Xander…?"_

"When I first dived into the craft, it happened a lot to me, Maddie. I didn't think you'd be getting genuine Sights this soon." Xander replied.

"Well, this isn't exactly like the time you 'dived into your craft', Xander." Nick replied. Vida noticed that Udonna had strolled in and had begun examining the potion.

"Hey, Udonna. Whatcha doing?" Vida asked nervously. The rest of the group looked over at her.

"This potion has been tampered with." Udonna said as she stirred the potion up. "It looks like some abominated mix." Vida turned pale.

"What kind of mix, Udonna?" Vida asked.

"I'm not quite sure. The Yellow Magicks are not ones I am skilled in."

"Is it a poison?" Madison asked.

"I can't tell, Madison." Udonna replied. Madison got up and ran out of the Rootcore.

"Is Madison alright?" Udonna asked.

"She had a bad dream, and she thinks it's a premonition." Xander replied.

"Well, as a Blue Magician, Seeing things in dreams can happen at any time. All things in the past and the future can be revealed with enough practice and enough belief."

"But so soon in her studies, Udonna?"

"You are the Five Magicians that have been chosen by the Xenotome and the Heavenly Saints to save both the Mystic and Mortal Realms. If there is anything that we must know, they will not hesitate to show us. These are trying times, children, and the more we know, the better. I believe that is why Charlie was chosen, and his disappearance is hazardous to all of us." Udonna sat down with a grim look on her face.

"What do you mean?" Nick asked as Vida walked up to the cauldron with a large bottle and a ladle.

"He knows firsthand of the evils we fight. He came to the forest in very rough shape a week ago, during the storm when the Hellpit first opened. He was severely injured from his fall, but he made quite the recovery, as you have seen. Vankyuria herself was bent on taking him into her…services…for what he had seen in her lair, but I luckily drove her off before she could get a hold of him. If Vankyuria is able to capture him once more, we would lose years of valuable information he's collected."

"How did he get down there? Hasn't the Hellpit been closed for at least sixteen years, if not longer?"

"Humans can pass the Hellpit barrier without breaking it, as well has half-demons, such as vampires, which is how Vankyuria and Charlie have been able to enter and leave at a whim."

"Well then, we should go out and find him before something bad happens to him." Xander said. "Besides, we have to see what that…" Xander pointed at the cauldron with a disgusted look on his face. "…that stuff did to him."

"Go then." Udonna said. "Remember; be careful out there. If Vankyuria knows that Charlie is alone, she will take little time gathering a search party to find him."

"Well then, we'll just have to gather a search party of our own." Nick said, holding up his wand. "To Briarwood we go."

"Huh?" Xander asked. Nick gave no explanation; he merely grabbed Xander by the arm and dashed out of the Rootcore dragging him along.

Vankyuria and Morrigan visited the site of the hippogryph graveyard. The bodies had just started to decay, and the scent drove Morrigan into a bloodlust.

"I need to feed, mistress…"

"Control yourself, child. You have little training around dead bodies, I know, but this is just like being around the living." Vankyuria replied. "Search the bodies…if there is anything of use, I want it immediately. Feathers, talons, scales, tongues, eyes, unshattered bones, egg shells…anything."

Morrigan walked to the north end, where a gold locket sitting on a pile of feathers lied. Morrigan picked up the locket and put it around her neck. She opened it up, revealing a picture of two little redheads, a boy and a girl, sitting next to a pond.

"How precious…" Morrigan sighed. She looked up as she heard a branch snap. "Mistress…"

"Yes, child?" She asked. Morrigan changed into her Vankyuria costume and stood up, clutching onto the gold necklace.

A large beast approached the scene; it appeared to be a yellow, black, and orange-colored gryphon until halfway down the back, where its body became that of a canary yellow stallion. It stood tall over Morrigan; on all fours, it was nearly eight feet in height.

"Mistress…I think one of them is alive…"

"I see…" Vankyuria said, picking up a large, rock-like egg and walking over.

The large hippogryph walked slowly up to Morrigan, studying her. It spotted the locket and screeched. It then began trying to claw her neck.

"Don't hurt me! I'm your friend!" Morrigan shouted, taking off the necklace and putting it in a side pocket. "There, all better, right?" The hippogryph stopped screeching and attacking. "See? All fine." She turned to Vankyuria. "No gold around it, I guess."

"Yes, their eyes are sensitive, I heard." Vankyuria replied. "I think I might have a way to recruit this beast…if it survived the storm, it'll live through anything."

"I'm right here in case it attacks again, my queen." Morrigan said as she bowed. Vankyuria walked up to the hippogryph, holding the egg out in front of her.

"Dear friend, we have come to see if any of your kind survived the attacks." Vankyuria began to say. The hippogryph screeched again, signaling that it was angry. "I found this egg, but the creature is dying! I ask of you…we have enemies…if you help us destroy them, I can nurse this egg back to health!" The hippogryph calmed down, and began to look at her inquiringly. "Will you help us?" The hippogryph stared down at the egg, then Vankyuria, then at Morrigan. Morrigan bent slightly at the waist, bowing in a submissive manner. The hippogryph then looked up at the sky, pondering the conundrum. It then looked back at the egg. It squawked softly, then genouflexed. "Good boy…" Vankyuria walked up and pet the bowing hippogryph's feathery head.

Nick and Xander arrived at the bakery and were shocked to find a small group waiting outside. However, they were not customers; it was the Marauders.

"Hi Nick!" The oldest female shouted as she waved.

"Oh no…you know them?" Xander asked.

"…Are they trouble?"

"Most of the time, they're plain annoying."

"Oh."

"You know what? You should go deal with them…I'll start looking for Chip in the forest. Sound good to you?"

"Fine." Xander smiled and wasted no time leaving the scene. Nick walked up to the Marauders, who looked happy to see him.

"Welcome back to Briarwood." The oldest boy said.

"Thanks."

"We didn't introduce ourselves last time, did we?" The oldest girl asked.

"Nope, I don't think so."

"Then we should now. I am Bridget, the second oldest girl to my left is Esen, and the last of us girls is Crystal. Our oldest boy is Conway, our second oldest boy is Taliesin, and our youngest boy is Oliver." As the kids were named, they stepped forwards, one by one. "What is your name?"

"Nick."

"Nick is a nice name." Crystal commented, twirling her hair in her fingers.

"Did you just come back from your town?" Conway asked shyly.

"I got back very late last night. Sorry I didn't get to have a story time with ya."

"That's okay, Mister Nick." Oliver replied. "We were busy reading."

"Well, that's the first time I heard a kid say that in a long time." Nick snickered.

"We wanted to see if you wanted to play a game with us, Mister Nick…" Esen said. A thought popped into Nick's mind.

"Well, I'm playing a game right now with a friend of mine…we're playing Hide and Seek and he's really good."

"Ooh! Hide and Seek!" The Marauders shouted.

"Can we play too?" Taliesin asked.

"I was thinking that maybe you could help me find my friend, because I've been looking for him for a long time and I can't find him."

"Of course we'll help you, Mister Nick." Bridget said. "What's he look like?"

"He has bright orange hair, and he'll be wearing a cloak like mine. He's about my height and he runs really fast. He also has a yellow colored wand…do you think you could help me find him?"

"Of course!" Bridget said. It was apparent that Bridget ran the show, because she quickly drafted up a search plan amongst her group. Within minutes, Nick and the Marauders had search plans and several contact methods in place.

"There's nothing the Marauders can't do!" Bridget assured Nick.

"Awesome. Let's get going then." Nick said. The group then broke off into their search sections.

Xander sighed, as he had become lost in the forest. "Ha, what a wonderful Green Magician I am…I can't even navigate a local wooded area on my own. Maddie gets a crazy vision and I get lost. What a miserable trade off!" Xander looked upwards at the sky. "Grangel, why am I not as gifted as Madison?" He shouted. "Why is she getting everything and I'm getting nothing?"

His answer came in the form of vines; swarms of vines slithered up his legs like mossy pythons, locking him in place and causing him to panic. "I meant no disrespect!" Xander cried out. The vines, however, continued to wrap around him, sprouting upwards and hardening. The more Xander tried to move, the tighter the vines became. "Somebody help!" Xander shouted as the vines began tightening around his chest and arms as they swarmed up towards his neck and head. "Somebody hurry!"

The vines shot out of the ground, elevating him slightly off the ground and bending backwards a bit, elevating him perfectly to view the midday sun. The vines had finally fully solidified and tightened as hard as they could without breaking his limbs.

"Somebody please…help…" Xander begged.

Meanwhile, Morrigan, who was still in her Vankyuria costume, had perched herself atop the hippogryph, staring at her newly acquired locket. "What a happy pair…" She sighed. She then smiled and patted the hippogryph on the head. "What a good pet you are!" The hippogryph snorted, indicating a dislike of being considered a pet. "Hm?"

"You made it upset." Nai said, polishing the egg.

"Upset…" Mae echoed as she took the egg and held it close.

"We shall name you Tsubasa!" Nai said happily, looking up at the hippogryph.

"Tsubasa the hippogryph!" Mae replied, spreading her arms out. "Tsubasa, for it has two wings! Two wings, flutter, flutter…"

"Very right, Mae." Nai replied. "Tsubasa is a good name for a feathered friend."

The hippogryph squawked lightly in approval as it continued on with its walk. It suddenly stopped and squawked in alarm and began to stare at a particularly large tree.

"What is it, dear Tsubasa?" Morrigan asked.

"What?" Nai and Mae echoed.

"This tree…there is something strange about it…my queen, I think we should wait here."

"Perhaps we should." Nai said.

"Perhaps." Mae echoed.

"Tsubasa, we shall stand watch. We want you to continue the search for the magicians, got it?" Nai said.

"Got it?" Mae echoed.

The hippogryph shook Morrigan off and began to wander away.

"Apparently, it understood." Morrigan replied, brushing herself off. "Do you suppose that we should hide in the branches?"

"We should." Nai replied.

"We should." Mae echoed. Nai and Mae combined into Vankyuria, then leapt onto the top of the tree behind her. Morrigan followed her lead, and they both hid amongst the branches.

After nearly an hour of lying in the sun, Xander began feeling the heat of the sun. He was sweating heavily, and he had grown weary.

"I get the point. I was stupid." Xander sighed. "I'm still feeling burned over all of this…I'm not adjusting well, and I'm jealous…please forgive me, Grangel…I promise to be more trusting in your plan for me…please…"

Xander stopped rambling once he heard something coming from his right. He moved his head as far as he could, but he still couldn't see what was approaching. After a moment, a bear arrived, causing Xander to panic.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no…not good…I'm such an easy target…" Xander muttered to himself. "Focus, Xander…gotta make a plan…" He closed his eyes, trying to think. "Ya need a plan, Xander…"

_Is there anything I can do without my wand…? No, there is nothing…there is not a single spell I know that doesn't require a wand…what can I do…? …Believe. I must believe that these vines will keep the bear from eating me. That's all that's left. To just have faith…to have faith that…my weakness is my strength. I get it now…yes, I must have faith that this curse is a blessing, that I am strong and not weak…I see…_

A soft breeze pushed from behind him, and a soft voice cooed in his ear.

"Why not try to 'bland-en' to the 'flora'?" The cheery voice giggled.

"Blanden…flora…? Oh!" Xander smiled as he tried wriggling his right arm to reach his wand in his pocket.

"Why use a wand when your voice is one anyways?" The voice cooed.

"I see…" Xander concentrated on the spell's pronunciation, then boldly cried out, "Blanden Flora!"

Xander's body began to solidify, changing to the composition of the vines that surrounded him. The vines, where they were, melted onto his clothes and skin, binding him to the vines themselves. As the bear approached, it found no interest in a wooden meal, and it left the scene. Xander sighed happily.

"Well, that worked…" Xander said to himself. "Now…how to reverse this…hello, random voice…?"

"You called?" The voice asked. A strange female popped up in front of Xander. Fairy glitter adorned her upper brows and blush-hued cheeks, complimenting her leaf green eyes and bark grey pixie-length hair. Her skirt and barely-there top were made entire of leaves strung together with gossamer threads, looking strangely ethereal and mystic. It wasn't until Xander noticed her green dragonfly-styled wings that he realized that she was a forest denizen, although the rest of her clothes were obviously a dead giveaway.

"Who are you and how do I reverse this spell?" Xander found it oddly calming that in his current condition, very little effort was needed to speak.

"My name is Acantha, and I will do that for you right now!" She giggled as she pointed at Xander. "Blanden Nix!" Xander's body glowed green for a minute, then the vines and his vine-like skin were gone as the light exploded into millions of tiny green lights that resembled fireflies. "There, now stop complaining." Acantha said with a smile.

"I take it that you're a pixie?" Xander asked.

"Oh, a pixie? Never! I'm a nymph!" Acantha looked herself over, frowned for a fraction of a second, then looked back and Xander and smiled. "Well, I'm a big larger than normal, but I thought it would be a calming thing to bring myself up to your height for the moment."

"I…see…" Xander said, popping his knuckles. As painful as lying in the sun for an hour had been, he felt wonderfully revitalized as he stretched his limbs out.

"I was sent by Grangel to help you out on that one. He said you angered him, but he has forgiven you now. He said to give you that spell, and that this is part of his gift to you. He said then I should return you to your home here and then he'd tell me to do something else for you, too."

"Well then, to the Rootcore we go!" Xander said as he walked up to Acantha. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she lead him through the forest, as she was still only a few inches shorter than him. "By the way…thanks."

"It is my pleasure to serve you, and also a relief to finally have a Green Magician to serve." Acantha said with a smile. After a moment, Acantha stopped and looked up at Xander. "…Are all Mortal Realm Green Magicians as adorable as you?"

"…What?" Xander asked, blushing.

"Just wondering. I'm used to seeing so many Mystic Realm Green Magicians who're wood elves and goblins and all that, that it's just something I wanted to know."

Xander gave a sly look as he began sweet-talking her. "Well…not many Green Magicians I know can compare to my stunning looks…"

"Oh, what an egotistical human you are!" Acantha giggled. Xander looked at her with a confused look on his face.

"Huh? But you just said-"

"Oh, let's go…" She said, grabbing the arm around her shoulders and walking fast.

The day faded into night, and still nobody had heard from or seen Chip at all. Xander, who had safely made it to the Rootcore with Acantha, found that Nick and the Marauders had no luck in finding Chip either. He decided to offer Nick his cottage's guest room as a belated welcoming gift to his sudden friend.

"Why don't you stay in the guest room at my house tonight? I'm dying to be home, and the beds there are much more comfortable than the ones here. I could hardly sleep last night!" Xander said.

"Gee, way to make me feel good." Clare said, who had gone unnoticed as she swept the floor in the corner.

"Ugh…sorry Clare. It's not your fault that I miss my bed…I'm just picky, that's all."

"It's okay…I admit that they aren't too comfortable to me, either." Clare sheepishly admitted. "I'm used to it, though."

"How comfortable are these beds you speak of?" Nick asked slyly as he leaned on the circular table.

"Pretty comfortable. Down feather pillows, soft sheets, and the mattresses are pleasantly springy…"

"Sold!" Nick said, slamming his fist on the table like a gavel. "Let's get going." He said as he moved away from the table and toward the entrance.

"Right behind ya." Xander said. He stood up and began to leave, but then stopped and looked back at Clare. "Sorry for what I said about the beds. I know you try hard…"

"It's okay. I'd rather somebody be honest than to make me feel better about myself anyways." Clare replied. "Now go home to your comfortable beddings and enjoy it."

"Will do." Xander replied as he left.

Meanwhile, Madison found herself becoming tired of walking. "Chip!" She shouted out, looking around. As the sun became fully set behind the mountain range, she sighed; she couldn't use her Forest Light spell without suffering, but it was her only choice. "Luma Silva!" The forest lit up around her, casting shadows on objects both near and far. She felt a sudden weight pressing on her as she began to walk.

She saw a hooded figure up ahead, wearing a cloak emblazoned with the Mystic Circle, much like her robe.

"Chip!" She shouted, hoping to get a positive response.

"Hey!" A voice answered back from the figure. It was indeed Chip's voice. Three more figures emerged from behind him; Nick, Vida, and Xander.

"Oh, wonderful!" She shouted, running for the hooded figure. She jump hugged the hooded figure, sending them flying backwards. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too…" Chip replied. There was an unfamiliar tone in his voice as he sat up and pushed her off.

"We should head back to the base." Madison said in joy. The other three shook their heads in the negative, as did Chip.

"No, let's stay here." Chip said, pushing his hood back. Madison noticed that his eyes were a deep blue, and she panicked and became pale.

"Is something wrong, Blue Magician?" Chip asked.

"Your eyes…"

"What's wrong with my eyes?"

"…They're…blue…" She held up her wand as she sideswiped him and ran behind him. Nick, Vida, and Xander walked up to his side. "You're not my friends. You're just a bunch of demons."

"And what makes you think that?" Chip said, walking up to Madison. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. Nick, Vida, and Xander swarmed in closer as well.

"This." Madison said, pointing the wand directly at his eyes. "Luma Lumiere!" The forest lights dissipated, becoming replaced with a bright light at the end of her wand. Chip instantly let go, screaming in pain and shielding his eyes.

"OW! IT BURNS!" Chip shouted, falling to his knees. He looked up, now baring fangs. "Get her!" The Vida, Nick, and Xander clones bared fangs and charged Madison.

"Luma Radia!" She shouted as she swung her wand in front of her. An arc of light shot out of the wand, hitting and destroying the vampire versions of her friends.

The vampire Chip stood up as Madison collapsed on the ground. "I didn't think you Magicians were so stupid. You've wasted all your energy trying to destroy us that you have none left to defend yourself from me…" The vampire snapped its fingers, and in a puff of black smoke, revealed themselves to be Morrigan. "I almost had you surrounded…but I didn't want to share my meal with them anyways."

Madison cringed as she stared at Morrigan; for a moment, she thought it was Vankyuria, but realized that her mouth didn't move while speaking, giving the impression that the face was just a mask.

"Who are you?" Madison asked, keeping the wand pointed at Morrigan.

"My name is Morrigan, Blue Magician. I think it would be nice to know your name…isn't it something like mine? Madison, I believe?"

"Yes it is…but why do you care?"

"The Wind Scout is not one to be kind to others…but you…your case intrigues me. Tell me, why does he consider you to be a friend?"

"I…don't know…I guess maybe it's because I'm nice."

"Well then, I'll make sure to remind you to be nice when I find him and have you drain him dry!" Morrigan said as she ran towards Madison.

A shrill shriek filled the air, and a giant claw shot out from behind Madison, smashing into Morrigan and sending her flying backwards. Madison looked up and spotted Tsubasa the hippogryph. She gasped.

"You featherbrain!" Morrigan shouted. "I was going to finish her off!"

Tsubasa squawked at Morrigan, then reared up and smacked Madison square in the face, knocking her unconscious.

"Oh I see…you don't like sharing!" Morrigan chuckled as she stood up. "Fine, you may have your feast…I'll take the other three." Morrigan brushed herself off as she smiled.

Tsubasa made a soft sound of satisfaction as it picked Madison up by the collar of her cloak and carrying her off towards the northern section of the forest.

On the other side of the forest in the town of Briarwood, the streets were bustling with people all trying to get home for the night, including Xander and Nick. After stopping at the Farmer's Market for a moment and picking up some ingredients for dinner and saying his hellos to some of his family, Xander happily introduced Nick to some of his friends. Despite the culture gap, Nick found that the merchants he met were not much different from the people he'd meet in a supermarket.

Oliver and Conway were also in the market helping their family out, and they happily gave Nick a report of their day in the forest; nothing pertaining to Chip, but a noting that one of the caves in the north was haunted by a ghostly hooded creature. Nick and Xander decided that they would check it out in the morning with the boys, to which the boys' mother laughed and gave Nick and Xander a time to return the boys home.

Down the block from the Farmer's Market was a row of white sandstone houses, all covered in thick ivy. Most of the other houses were made of limestone and marble, so the difference was noticeable and stood out heavily. Xander happily set his bags in front of the gate of the last house in the row, unlocking both the gate and the front door before going forwards. Nick stared in awe; he never thought he'd ever be walking into such a rustic looking building, nor that he'd ever be sleeping in a place that was more than ten times bigger than his apartment back in Roftwood.

"Wow…" Nick said aloud as he followed Xander in.

The interior reminded Nick of the ancient Greek shrines from History class; the front room had a small fountain in the middle of it, the walls were lined with tapestries, and there were statues of Spragel and Grangel in every corner of the room. In fact, the fountain's centerpiece was Spragel with the water shooting out of her hands into the bowls and outstretched hands of mortal and mystic being alike.

There were sandstone benches sitting between statues in hallways leading to the dining hall and the kitchen, and the elegance followed there as well. It was the charm of an ancient Mediterranean home with the decadence of a medieval castle.

"Man, I didn't know you were so stacked by the looks of your bakery…" Nick said.

"Oh, I didn't buy all of this," Xander replied. "in fact, I own only what's in my room. This place used to belong to my uncle."

"Is that so…? Wow." Nick said. "Your uncle was loaded."

Xander smiled as he sat his groceries on the kitchen counter and began to go through them. "My uncle was a great guy. He was one of the finest merchants in the land; people would come to Briarwood from deep in the Mystic Realm to make deals with him." He reached overhead and grabbed a mixing spoon and a knife.

"I got this house from him when I was ten years old. I was the closest thing he had to a son…my aunt died during childbirth, and the little one passed soon after, and it just devastated him." Xander sighed as he began chopping up the ingredients for his and Nick's dinner. Nick sighed and sat down at the dining room table roughly twenty feet away on the other side of the counter.

"But anyways, he wrote me into his will as the inheritor of his estate, which shocked my mother and upset several of my older cousins. Needless to say, I'm missing a great deal of things from the place, and food disappears as soon as it goes into a cupboard around here…anything of importance stays in my room nowadays…" Xander scooped up the ingredients and tossed them into the cauldron. "Hey Nick, could you give me a light real quick?"

"Sure." Nick smiled and pulled out his wand. "Pyra Minima." A small batch of flames shot up underneath the cauldron, igniting the wood underneath it.

"Thanks."

"Not a problem."

Xander poured a jug of water into the cauldron to go along with the ingredients. After stirring them up a bit, he sat down at the table next to Nick.

"This house kinda feels empty without anybody else in it. I'm glad you came over."

"I'm glad I'm getting a nice rest out of it." Nick replied with a smile.

"Well, you and I are working together; it's the least I can do."

"Yeah…" Nick looked down.

"So, you got any wacky family tales? Strange dad? Crazy mum?"

"I wish." Nick said, scratching the back of his neck.

"C'mon, you're a totally normal guy…I think…" Xander jokingly replied. "Seriously though, is it crazier than my vengeful kleptomaniac cousins?"

"Well, most of what I remember about my parents is hazy, really. My dad was a Navy SEAL, and he was killed in action when I was about a year old, and then shortly after that, my mom got a nasty virus and had to be quarantined at a hospital, and she died not long after my dad…I was raised by my sister, who is twice my age, and it was just weird going to school and having my sister sign all my permission slips."

"School?"

"It's where kids go to learn…it's mandatory in my society."

"Oh. Sounds boring."

"Like you wouldn't believe. But yeah…my family's really small. I haven't seen my sister in a few years since I was old enough to leave and get my own apartment, which, by the way, is smaller than the dining room we're sitting in."

"Goodness…"

"Yeah, apartments are super tiny in Roftwood."

"…how do you live in this…'apartment' place?"

"Very cramped."

"I could imagine." Xander said. He then got up to stir the stew.

The room fell silent for a few moments as Nick collected his thoughts. He then spoke with a somber tone in his voice. "You wanna know what really confuses me about my dad?"

"What?"

"They were able to retrieve his dogtags…but they couldn't bring his body home to bury him. Nobody ever explained that to me."

"Maybe he wasn't wearing them…and then the body got lost on transit or something."

"No, that's too unrealistic for me to believe."

"You have a problem believing things you can't see, don't you?" Xander asked.

"I guess I do, don't I? I have to get over that now, don't I?"

"Well, it can't hurt to try, can it?"

"Not really…"

Another few moments of silence, then Nick started up again. "What hurts the most is my sister still won't give me my father's dogtags."

"Dogtags?"

"They're military identification tags…they give you a name, regiment, rank, all that good stuff."

"I see, and do you like, wear them or something?"

"Around your neck."

"Oh." Xander said. "…well, why won't she let you have it?"

"She'd always say, 'They're sacred, Nick…nobody can touch them.' like they were some sort of ancient relic or something."

"Well, your dad sounds like a very important person…she's just really venerating. It's understandable."

"You're right…" Nick sighed. "I just…I just miss him. After all this time…I just miss him." Nick crossed his arms on the table, then lied his head n his left arm.

"Elbows off the table." Xander spat out. Nick shot him a look. "Sorry. Force of habit."

"That's alright." Nick replied.

"Dinner'll be done in a few minutes, okay?"

"Yeah."

Nick and Xander spent the rest of the night in relative silence; Xander didn't want to start any more conversations, and Nick found himself so immersed in the house's architecture that he almost forgot Xander was there with him. The two ended the night in silence, sound asleep in their respective rooms, finally enjoying their well-deserved rest.

The sun was barely making its morning run over the eastern horizon as Madison stirred weakly, trying to escape her reverie. The sounds of the waterfall nearly a hundred feet away were slowly bringing her back to reality, much to Tsubasa's chagrin.

He sighed as he paced about the cave, torn over his next move. Should he kill her, or spare her? Was the egg as important as her, or should he be thinking the other way around? It was a difficult choice, of course. It wasn't in Tsubasa's nature to consider things so deeply before doing them…he was afraid of his newly forming logic.

"Good morning, my fine-feathered friend." Vankyuria said as she approached the cave. Tsubasa stared at her. "You do realize that the Blue Magician is still alive, don't you?" He squawked an agreeing tone. "I see…why are you waiting?" Tsubasa looked at her, then spread his wings. It shone a bright pink, and as the light dissipated, it left a hooded figure standing in his place.

"Ah…you finally reveal yourself to me…" Vankyuria replied. "You're tired of giving horrid responses…"

"I want her alive." He responded.

"What? That's not part of the bargain…"

"I'll kill the rest of them…just let me keep her alive."

"Why is this? Why should I give you more than what I promised?"

"They hate her anyways. She's with them, but not allied with all of them."

"The group is splintered? Interesting…" Vankyuria smiled as she walked up to the hooded figure.

"We could use her as bait for the green and pink ones…and undoubtedly you can draw the rest out by threatening to kill one of the other two…"

"Oh, wonderful planning! You are very useful! You may keep her alive then." Vankyuria said, patting Tsubasa on the shoulder. "But you must give me something in return."

"What?"

"Her wand."

"Take it." Tsubasa said, handing her a blue wand.

"Wonderful!" Vankyuria gleefully replied, taking the wand and swinging about. "Now, back to the tree I go! Remember to do as you promised!"

After waiting a long time, Tsubasa slid Madison's wand out of his sleeve. "I can't believe she fell for it…" he laughed to himself. He then looked outside and noticed the sun. "Oh, I should probably get back to guarding…" Tsubasa quickly returned to his hippogryph form and walked out to the front of the cave.

Madison woke up slowly, shivering. Water dripped nearby as the cool breeze blew in from the opening of the cave. She looked around, unsure of her current surroundings. She knew she was in a cave of some sort, but she was unsure of what cave she was in.

"Luma Hydrae!" She said instinctively, holding out her arm. She then suddenly realized that she was wandless.

"Where's my wand?" She said, panicking. Madison was blind in the cave without a Water Light spell active, and her only hope was to feel around on the floor. After a few moments, her hand grabbed a hold of something wooden and stick-shaped, and she stopped worrying. "Luma Hydrae!" She shouted at she held up the object in her hand. The entire cave lit up in a bluish hue as the water sprites illuminated themselves at her command.

The wand in her hand, much to her surprise, was yellow, and not blue. "…Why is this here…?" She asked herself as she got up.

She wandered out to the cave's entrance, where she found Tsubasa bathing in the waterfall. She stood for a moment, staring at the wand in her hand. She then looked back at Tsubasa, who had obviously realized that he was being watched. Madison walked forwards as she cast a Water Walking spell on herself, and she lightly skimmed across the surface of the river in an attempt to sneak up on the large winged creature. However, Tsubasa sensed her coming and turned around. Madison panicked and the spell dropped, sending her dropping into the water. Tsubasa walked over and picked her out of the water with his beak.

Sopping wet, Madison still managed to be upset.

"Where am I?" She shouted as she squirmed about. Tsubasa remained silent. "Why have you taken me here?" Yet again, no response. "Where is my wand?" Tsubasa began walking off with her in his beak. "Let me go!" Tsubasa swung his head, tossing her up in the air and moving to position himself under her. She landed on his back and dropped the yellow wand into the water.

"Gimme that!" she screamed. Tsubasa reared up, forcing her to panic and cling onto his wings to keep from falling off. "Stop!" she shouted, kicking about and striking his sides with her feet. Tsubasa shrieked in pain for a moment, then calmed down. After several moments, he picked up the yellow wand for her, then tilted his head back and handed it to her. "…thank you." She softly replied.

Tsubasa walked forwards in a calm trot, stopping twenty feet away. He then bent to take a drink, then came back up with a blue wand in his beak. He also handed it to her.

"My wand!" She shouted, hugging it like a long lost child. She began to lose her balance, but Tsubasa balanced her with his wings. "I'm sorry I shouted so loud…I'm having a bad day." She softly ran her fingers over the feathers on Tsubasa's wings. "I'm just worried about my friend…" Tsubasa lightly crowed in response. "Have you seen him? My friend Chip?" Tsubasa shrieked a tone that sounded like it was a negative response. "No? Oh…" She sighed. Tsubasa began walking forwards once more, and Madison began to lounge by lying her front half down against his back, letting her arms dangle underneath his now-folded wings. "Why do you work for Infershia? You don't seem evil to me…" Tsubasa squawked, but Madison couldn't understand a word he said.

Nick and Xander were up bright and early to visit Oliver and Conway to have them take them to the Haunted Cave. Their mother was delighted to invite them in.

"Mister Bly, it's so good to see you in my home!" the mother replied. "Come on in; all the kids are here to see you."

"All the kids?" Xander asked. Nick gazed into the living room and found all of the Marauders sitting around, dressed up in costumes.

Bridget was wearing a black witch's hat with a black shirt, orange vest, and orange and black track pants. Conway wore a blue collared shirt and jeans, with a durable helmet shaped and decorated to look like a fish. Taliesen wore a short-sleeved collared shirt with mesh clothes underneath with a yellow scarf, running shorts, and track shoes. Oliver, with his thick framed lenses, still managed to fit a pair of bunny muffs on his head; and as dorky as the premise was, the white magician's gloves, red bell collar, shorts, green collared university shirt, and dress shoes seemed to be a perfect match on him. His black cat familiar sat atop his head. Crystal wore a grey hooded sweatshirt with bunny slippers and sweatpants; the most interesting piece of her outfit was her ice crystal tiara and earrings. Esen was curled up on the couch trying to hide underneath her sky blue blanket with the little pink cloud embroidered on it; however, her wing-embroidered blue jeans and pink sneakers with little white decorative wings on them still were seen.

Nick and Xander were impressed; although the Marauders were all roughly the age of middle schoolers, they seemed to be almost too prepared to go into the forest when Nick noticed extremely detailed scouting plans sitting on the coffee table with them all hovering over them.

"Hi, Mister Nick!" They shouted and waved.

"Hi, kids." Nick said, waving back as he walked in. "This is my friend, Xander."

"Okay, Mister Nick and Mister Xander, we request that you sit and listen to this." Bridget said in a serious tone. Nick decided to sit between Bridget and Conway. Xander found it hard to take a pre-teen seriously, but he sat down between Conway and Nick.

"Nice…fish hat." Xander said to Conway.

"It's not a hat, it's a helmet." Conway replied.

"Sorry."

"Ahem." Bridget loudly cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention. "Now, our lovely little Junior Wind Scout herself, little Esen, drew up a map while she was in the forest last night detailing several Hideac camps in the northern area that shows that Infershia might possibly be building a camp up there. Esen also reported that there were bright lights and screams coming from the mid-eastern tier of the forest, possibly an ambush. There was a hippogryph and several vampires involved in the scene, and they attacked a young woman as well, carried her off."

"Young woman?" Nick asked.

"What did she look like?" Xander asked, standing up.

"Mister Xander, we don't know. Esen could not see her well enough to see details, but from far away, she could tell that she was a long haired woman around your age."

"Madison!" Nick and Xander shouted as they stared at each other.

"We need to save her!" Xander said.

"She could be in danger!" Nick added.

"But what about the haunted cave?" Taliesen asked. "Won't we go there first?"

"We'll do both!" Bridget replied.

"Hey kids, would you like some milk and muffins?" the mother asked as she popped her head into the room.

"No thanks, Mother Clarin." Bridget replied.

"Alrighty! I hope you kids have fun and stay safe out in the forest." Clarin said as she retreated out of the room.

"Mother Clarin?" Taliesen said.

"Yes, Taliesen?"

"Where are you going?" To Xander, Taliesen's parentish tone towards Clarin seemed off.

"I'm going to lie down."

"I shall stay with you then." Crystal replied, standing up and following Clarin.

"Thank you, Crystal."

"Not a problem, Mother Clarin."

The remaining Marauders then got up and began to leave. "Come on, Misters Xander and Nick! We don't have much time!"

"Okay, we're right behind you." Nick replied.

Back at the Rootcore, Udonna and Clare were reading the only pages of the Xenotome that were available for reading. The majority of the pages were blank, including the pages that Wolzard had ripped out.

"I don't understand, Miss Udonna…" Clare stammered. "The book's text has done nothing but disappear since the book got here…and even more so since Charlie disappeared."

"The book is a wise and all-knowing book, Clare." Udonna said. "It knows that they are not united, that they are not ready for the lessons it has to give."

"When will they be ready, Miss Udonna?" Clare asked.

"That is up for the magicians themselves to decide, in all honesty. When they prove themselves of the Xenotome's knowledge, it will give them great power, so says the legend."

"Legend?"

"Yes. Sit and I shall tell you the full tale of the Five Great Magicians. I feel like you should know the tale in whole instead of just the scant details I have muttered to you." Clare sat down in the chair behind the dais.

"Now remember I told you about how the Five Great Magicians fought to save the Mystic Realm long ago from Infershia?"

"Yes, Miss Udonna. You told me that Infershia's gate was closed by a Great Magician, and that all of the Great Magicians perished in the fight against Infershia and that there are only relics of them remaining."

"Well remembered, Clare. Now, I don't recall ever telling you everything about the Xenotome."

"You told me it was an important book, and nothing more."

"Then it is time for me to pass on my knowledge of this book to you." Udonna said as she walked over to the dais and picked up the book. She opened the book to the first page, which had an illustration of the magic circle drawn behind five staff-wielding figures. Three of them wore hats, while the other two wore hoods. "The Five Great Magicians were a united force from both the Mystic Realm and the Mortal Realm, as you can tell from the varying robes."

"See, I'm still confused about that. Which is which?"

"Mystic Realm robes have hoods, Clare, while Mortal Realm robes don't, which is why the Mortal Realm magicians wear the pointed hats."

"Oh, I get it now. Makes sense. Please, go on."

"The Five Great Magicians were chosen by the Heavenly Saints themselves to defend the planet from Infershia, and the way the Saints communicated and trained these warriors was through the Xenotome. Nobody knew how to make it work, but when it worked, they all knew what was going on. That is why it is called the Book of the Unknown."

"Neat."

"The Five Great Magicians gathered together every warrior they could in the fight against Infershia and their master, a creature whose true name was only spoken by his closest advisors."

"Scary!" Clare was becoming intrigued with the story now that there was a supreme evil in it.

"Very much so, Clare. But these Five Great Magicians were courageous and impetuous, and with such courage in the face of danger, they were rewarded with great mystical strength by the Heavenly Saints themselves. However, regardless of their courage, they wasted every last bit of life they had until nothing but their magic kept them moving against the forces of Infershia. The war was so great, that several Heavenly Warrior-Saints came to the aid of the Mystic Realm they had helped create. Even then, the battle was nearly lost."

"Wow…this is all really intense!" Clare said. "I take it that there isn't a happy ending to this, is there?"

"Well, it's not a wonderful ending, Clare, but no victory this great can be claimed without sacrifices. Not only did the Five Great Magicians perish from over-exertion, but the Saints themselves suffered casualties. They were left to close Hell's Gate themselves, and they did, but they lost their Warrior-Saint General behind Hell's Gate."

Clare gasped. "How horrible!"

"It was a loss for all three realms that day. There was not a great victory festival that day, but rather a great funeral."

"Do you think…do you think that this will happen again?" Clare asked with a shaky voice.

"Sadly, Clare, history is known to repeat itself…"

Nick, Xander, and the Marauders began their hike through the forest, making sure to avoid the camps Esen had precisely marked out on the map.

"We're making good time, everybody!" Bridget said happily. Unfortunately, her voice was picked up by a small scouting party of Hideacs, and they quickly descended upon the group. Nick and Xander drew out their wands, but the Marauders were quick to jump in front of them.

"We'll handle this." Bridget said. The five of them quickly divided the group's attention.

Conway led a pair of Hideacs over to a small stagnant pool of water. Just as the Hideacs were about to descent upon him, he snapped his fingers, summoning the water to blast into them and tear them to shreds. "Simple, no?" He said, adjusting his helmet. "For me, it was just a snap. Ha, see? A joke!"

"It won't be funny when they kill you!" Bridget shouted when she became surround by a trio of blade-wielding Hideacs. However, she was not intimidated in the least. A quick snap of her fingers shot a wave of superheated air to surround her, igniting both the leaves around her and the Hideacs around her. "Burn, baby, burn!" She shouted.

"Yeah, well, be gentle around the trees, will ya?" Oliver comments as he led a pair of Hideacs deeper into the forest. "Fine, if you insist on following me, then I'll have to show you to my friend." He snapped his fingers, summoning a large bear from deep in the woods. "Ursa, enjoy!" The bear then proceeded to tear the Hideacs apart. "Lovely, no?" He mused aloud.

"I'll show you lovely!" Taliesen commented as he began running around swiftly and catching the attention of several of the Hideacs who were left. They chased him until he stopped until he suddenly stopped running. "I'm not afraid of you! I have no fear of simple creatures like you!" He snapped his fingers and a bolt of electricity shot through the ranks, blowing the Hideacs apart instantly. "As I said…no fear."

Esen found that the last Hideac had taken a liking to her, and she became a bit scared. However, after watching Taliesen and hearing what he had said, she was inspired to be courageous. She stood her ground and waited for the Hideac to get close before opening up her blanket and sending a rushing gust of wind surging at the Hideac. The Hideac was lifted into the air, then dropped suddenly, crushing its skeleton on impact. Esen quickly covered back up and walked over to Xander and Nick, who were in shock.

"How did you…?" Nick began to say.

"Why'd you…why'd you do that? How…how did you do that?" Xander said.

"Magic, of course!" Oliver said. "Now c'mon, we're making good time!" Bridget then took up the map once more and began to walk as if nothing happened. Xander and Nick pocketed their wands and slowly followed.

After a moment of walking, Oliver looked up at Xander. "You know what? Not good to be so jealous all the time."

"Wha…how did you kn-"

"The way you were eyeing us. One day, you will be as good as us. But for now, you are as good as you deserve to be."

"Deserve?"

"Yup."

"I see…" Xander was mildly disappointed, yet still in shock.

The Rootcore had been silent for nearly an hour after Udonna told her tale, until the large crystal ball in the middle of the round table began to glow. Udonna gasped, ran up to the dais, closed up the Xenotome, ran and grabbed Clare, thrust the book in her arms, and forced her up the stairs and into Clare's room. She shoved Clare onto her bed, then pulled her wand out of her cloak pocket.

"Stay here." Udonna said, pointing her wand at her in a threatening manner.

"But Miss Udon-"

"We can not afford for the book to fall to evil hands again, and my apprentice should learn to listen to her master."

"Yes, Miss Udonna." Clare replied as she hung her head, defeated.

Udonna then ran downstairs and began to sweep the floors as Clare had been doing before. She kept a close eye on the Rootcore's entrance, waiting patiently, running a volley of spells through her mind in preparation.

Several moments later, Chip walked in, scouring the room with indigo-shaded eyes, noticed Udonna sweeping the floor.

"Ah, Udonna." He said with a raspy voice. "There you are…"

Udonna slid her wand out of her sleeve and pointed it at Chip.

"Welcome, child of Infershia." Udonna shot out.

"I'm glad to be welcomed…" Chip grinned, pulling a blue wand out of his cloak pocket. "I think I'll be taking the Xenotome with me now."

"You'll have to go through me first, and I doubt you can." She grinned.

"You old hag! You're just fooling yourself. Aero Corona!" Chip pointed the wand, but it did nothing. "Huh?" He stared at the wand, then pointed it towards himself. Once it was pointed at him, it activated, making him drop the wand and flinging him back against the wall. He grimaced as he picked himself back up. "That overgrown pigeon's crowed his swansong…" He stepped on the fake wand, snapping it in half. "Fine! I can destroy you on my own!" Giving the Wind Scout salute and charging up wind magic energy, he swung his arm in an arc, discharging the energy in a bright pink light. It smashed into Udonna's abdomen, bending her in half while sending her flying into a wall.

"Do you like my Hawk's Eye?" Chip cackled. "I can serve up plenty more if you do!"

"You'll never get the Xenotome…" Udonna said weakly. "It's not even here…"

"I feel its energy in this tree…it's here…you can't fool me, greyhair…"

"Eiszapfen!" Clare shouted, pointing her wand at Chip and striking him in the shoulder. Chip howled in pain as the giant icicle drove into his clavicle, turning his head to see who struck him.

"Get out of this place before I get really serious!" Clare shouted. Even though she was afraid, she felt compelled to save Udonna regardless of her own health.

Chip spotted the Xenotome in her left arm and gasped. "Give me that book!" He shot a Hawk's Eye at Clare, smashing apart the staircase and tossing Clare about.

"Oh no!" Clare shouted, clinging to the Xenotome tightly as she fell. Udonna, fearing she wouldn't get a second chance to catch Chip off guard, dived for her wand. "Eiszapfen!" Her shot caught Chip on his right side.

"Augh! Damn witch! I guess you want to sing your swansong too, don't you?" Chip went to fire off another Hawk's Eye, but a voice rang out behind him.

"Ciclone rosa!" A pink tornado slammed into Chip, sending him flying up to the ceiling and crashing on top of the table. The icicles shattered on impact, giving Chip more mobility. He turned around and sneered at the caster, who was wearing a lovely witch's hat. The magician reached into their side bag, took out a fistful of powder, then summoned another pink tornado to blow the powder at Chip. Chip coughed as he stood up, brushing the powder off of him. The magician was taken aback; shocked at his response.

"What…? That should've worked…"

"Sorry, but your pixie dust is out of date!" Chip said, firing off a Hawk's Eye at the magician, knocking them out the door. "All of you are so pathetic…"

"Eiszapfen!" Clare and Udonna both shouted, firing two more icicles into Chip. He got up and ran out the entrance.

It was getting close to the time given to Xander and Nick to return the Marauders home, so they began to turn back.

"Since we can't help you any longer, here is our map." Bridget said, giving the map to Nick. "It's a shame we couldn't all go there, ya know?"

"Yeah." Nick replied as she slid the map into his cloak pocket. "One day, we'll have a great adventure. I promise."

"A promise is a promise, so you must never forget." Conway said, tapping his helmet.

"I won't forget." Nick replied with a smile.

"Alright," Xander said, clapping his hands. "it's time to get you kids home! So, I propose we have a race-"

"Last one home's a rotten egg!" Taliesen shouted, and everybody but Xander began to run.

"Wait for me! I can't run that well!" Xander shouted.

Tsubasa wasn't very surprised that Madison had fallen asleep so soon in the day, given the roughing up he and Infershia had given her the day before. He suspected that his soft and gentle trotting in the forest was what had lulled Madison to sleep. He began to think about what he was doing for a moment as he began setting up an early camp in a small clearing rather than returning to the cave.

_She's right…they're evil…but, they have something I want…but four lives for one? It doesn't seem right…no! I have to stick to this…maybe compromise for her life somehow…this is so unfair…but I must…must preserve the egg…they deserve to die anyways…why should I be attached to any of them?_

Tsubasa laid Madison on the ground gently, so as not to disturb her sleep.

_I can make an exception…if I'm helping them get what they want, they should make an exception for me. If not, then no deal. That's the only solution that makes sense._

Tsubasa yawned. _Ugh, I'm tired…why am I so tired? I've never felt so worn down in my life…_

As he turned around to get a drink from the river nearby, he spotted a very enraged Chip coming towards him.

"You dirty scamp!" Chip shouted. Madison woke up, but chose not to move. "You gave me a fake wand when I ordered you to give me the Blue Magician's wand! I should kill you right here!"

Tsubasa responded with a noise that resembled laughter.

"You dare mock me?" Chip replied. He fired a Hawk's Eye off in Madison's direction, which caused Tsubasa to maneuver himself in front of it. The blast hit him in the face, slicing deep into his beak. A pained cry rang through the air, rushing to all four corners of the forest.

"What was that?" Oliver asked as he stopped and looked around. The rest of the group stopped as well, and began to look around with him.

"A hippogryph." Esen said. Every turned to look at the smallest member of the Marauders, and were shocked to hear her speak. "One of my hippogryphs…in pain…protecting one so valiantly…what courage…" Her voice had become ethereal and otherworldly, as if she were actually seeing the event from afar.

"How courageous…" Taliesen replied. "I think he will be fine…a great magician he is saving…she will return the favor, won't she?" He turned to look at Conway.

"With such a pure heart, she will…" Conway answered.

"Nick, the kids're freaking me out again…" Xander whispered into Nick's ear.

"Something tells me that this's gonna happen often around them. After all the stuff I've been seeing lately, I'm just getting used to crazy shit happening randomly." Nick replied.

Tsubasa squawked and collected himself from the blow, charging Chip and slashing his face. The attack knocked Chip back, forcing a puff of smoke to rise up and revealing Chip's true guise; Morrigan, who was dressed in her Vankyuria costume. Morrigan got up and brushed herself off.

"You rotten bird!" She shouted, firing off another Hawk's Eye at Tsubasa. As the shot smashed into Tsubasa's chest, his legs buckled, causing Madison to panic and roll out from under him as he crashed to the ground, unconscious.

"Finally, the little Blue Magician shows herself!" Morrigan mocked.

Madison clutched her wand tightly and pointed it at Morrigan. "Hydrae Pression!" She shouted, causing a pressurized jet of water to shoot out of her wand and smash into Morrigan, sending her flying far into the forest and crashing into a tree. Morrigan snarled as she got up, then ran back to Vankyuria's perch.

Madison then turned to face Tsubasa, who lied silently on the forest floor, breathing heavily and bleeding lightly. She fell to her knees and began checking his wounds. Her warm hands woke Tsubasa up, who began to look at her.

"Thank you." Madison said as she tried as hard as she could to be cautious of the slice wound on his beak. "You didn't have to take this punishment for me…this cut looks as bad as it sounded…" Tsubasa weakly squawked in response.

Madison sighed and began looking around her for aloe plants that were usually found in the northern section of the forest. As soon as she spotted a few, she got up, which caused Tsubasa to cry out and nip at her cape with the tip of his beak.

"I'm just going for something to make you better. I'm not going far away." Madison said with a smile. Tsubasa let go and she walked the few steps to the rock formation to her left to pick apart the aloe plants.

After nearly ten minutes, she had found a few more ingredients to mix in with the tiny mortar and pestle that she carried in her cloak just for the situation she was in now. She missed the herbs up into a sickly green paste, which she gingerly applied to Tsubasa's beak and chest wounds. As she finished up on the large slash in his chest, she found herself at his left side, where she found a large patch of burned and unhealed skin devoid of any protective scaling.

"Oh my…" Madison said to herself. She knew exactly how he received the burns, and she felt partially responsible all over again. "Does this hurt, too?" She asked as she pressed on a small part of Tsubasa's exposed skin. It caused him to cry out in pain. "Oh, I'm so sorry Vida did this…I'm so sorry I let her do it…please forgive me…"

Tsubasa squawked lightly, reminding Madison that crying over mistakes was less important than actually fixing the mistakes that were made. She took what was left of the healing herb mix and scooped it up in her hand. "This is going to hurt, but you'll feel a lot better later, trust me." She then quickly slathered the burns in the mixture. She could feel Tsubasa's body tensing up in pain as she continued.

She ended up flaking off dead skin in some places, revealing the reddish flesh underneath and the smell of decay rolled into her nostrils. "Ugh…" She said before she began to gag and cough up spit. Tsubasa shrieked as she began rubbing the mixture into the open wounds.

"It'll be better…I promise…the sting and burn is just everything getting better…"

Tsubasa, in response to her words, quieted down and resorted to muffled whimpers for the rest of the procedure. After Madison was done, she mindlessly began petting Tsubasa's back. She could only ramble on as if she were taking care of Lupin.

After nearly two minutes of silence, she began to speak.

"I…I'm sorry about Vida's mistake. She…she doesn't think before she acts sometimes. I know that she was wrong and that she did a lot of damage to you…but please don't hold it against her. She's really a good person at heart."

Tsubasa sighed and slowly fell asleep, which gave Madison the initiative to set up a small camp around the both of them. She wore herself out summoning the forest to bend to her power, and she blacked out from over usage once she was done.

Madison woke up to a burning fire late at night. She sat up and saw Tsubasa lying near her, still asleep from the looks of it. She smiled and brushed off and she began wondering why there was a fire burning when she hadn't even started one. She began to walk over to the riverbank when she spotted somebody attempting to fish with a bow and arrow.

The moonlight shone down from the opening in the foliage, sending off rays of yellow light off of the figure's suit of full body scale mail armor. Not much else could be seen, so Madison decided to try getting closer.

As she snuck in closer, she noticed that the figure had short, russet shaded hair. She gasped, stepped backwards, and snapped a stick, causing the figure to turn around in alarm.

"Hi Maddie." Chip said cheerfully with a smile. Madison stared for a moment, wondering if this 'chipper' Chip was the real one. Chip grabbed the cloak lying on the ground and put it on as he walked up to greet Madison.

"Long time, no see, eh?" He said with an accent mimicking Xander's. Madison stepped back as he got close. "What's wrong?" He asked in his normal voice.

"You're…scaring me."

"Oh. Well…I was just trying to be funny." Chip frowned and looked down. Madison took a deep breath and grabbed Chip's chin firmly, pulling his face up to hers.

She quickly noticed a faded red arc across his face, shooting across from cheek to cheek over the top of the bridge of his nose. She then noticed that his eyes were a light brown, as opposed to the blue she had seen the night before. Chip had a shocked look in his eyes for a moment, then he smiled in a way Xander would when meeting with a female customer at the bakery.

"I don't think I've ever gotten such a lovely view of your eyes like this before, Maddie." He said softly. Madison blushed lightly, then looked away. "I don't know what's going on, but you don't have blue eyes…I guess I can trust that you are Chip Thorn like you appear to be…"

"Of course I'm Chip Thorn…at least…that's what it says on my underwear…"

Madison laughed lightly, as she let go of his face and covered her mouth in an attempt to conceal her mini giggles.

Chip sighed as he walked up to her once more. "I missed you so much…" He grabbed her tightly and hugged her.

"I missed you too. I was so worried that you had been poisoned and that you were dead…" Madison said as she began to tear up and wrap her arms around his waist.

"I'm okay, really. I just…I just feel confused, really. I've got to do some things before I can come back home, okay?"

"What do you have to do? I'll help you."

"No…this is something only I can do, okay?" Chip said, placing his hands on her shoulders. Madison nodded in response. "I promise that I'll come back in one piece."

"You'd better keep your promise…we don't have time to look for a new Yellow Magician." Madison joked, poking his left side.

He gave a momentary pained look, then feigned it off with a smile. "I promise." He gave her a soft peck on the cheek, then pulled her close, sighing happily. Madison smiled back. "Now, I want you to sleep soundly and when I get back home, I promise to spend some time with you, and we can sit and share stories again, and-"

Madison stared at him a bit. "Chip…?"

"Hm?"

"You're…scaring me."

"I am?" He gave her another one of Xander's patented looks.

"What's wrong with you?" Madison said, pulling away from him.

"Nothing…I think. I'm…I'm just feeling really good, and I want to spread the joy, so to speak."

"No, no…it's not the same…" Madison said, backing away. Chip walked towards her, keeping the distance they had apart roughly the same throughout their movements. "You're not you…whatever happened…you're just not you…"

"Maddie…"

"Don't call me that!" She pulled her wand out, pointing it directly between Chip's eyes.

"Madison…what's the matter?"

"You! You're not real!" Madison shouted. "Where is Chip and what have you done with him? I have no problem fighting you to get the answer, you fake!"

Chip stopped suddenly in his tracks, staring off distantly as if contemplating deeply. He then closed his eyes for a few seconds, swiftly opening them and shooting a glare of fiercely burning anger at her. He then reached for his wand, wordlessly transmuting it into a golden longsword with a wing-shaped hilt.

"If you want to fight, then fight I shall!" Chip took an offensive position and charged Madison. Madison began to duck and weave as Chip swung at her.

"Chip, stop!" Madison shouted. Chip took a quick swing with his hilt, cracking her upside his head and knocking her unconscious. He suddenly stopped once more, falling into a trance of deep thought. After a few moments, he blinked repeatedly and changed his sword back to a wand and ran off, shocked by his own actions.


	4. Enemies Within II

Nick and Xander, after returning the Marauders to Clarin's home, decided to go to the Rootcore before retiring to Xander's home.

"Nick, I have a question." Xander said, looking down.

"Yeah?"

"You're so…so faithful in something you didn't believe in only a few weeks ago. How…how do you rationalize it? You seem so calm."

"My sister, she always said 'Seeing is believing'. I saw what you all did, and I believed it."

"There has to be more to it than that!" Xander said, stopping and turning to face Nick.

"Well, there is…but I can't explain it. It's like…" Nick stopped and held up his hands as if holding a book, mentally hoping for the right words to show up on the mentally etched text he envisioned in his outstretched hands.

"it's like…it's like I'm being drawn in. Like…I've lived in Roftwood as far back as I can remember, but I've never felt comfortable there, ya know? And when I was in the Rootcore, looking at all of you…when I held that wand, it was warm and inviting, and I just fell into it, and it felt like I was supposed to be there." He looked over at Xander. "Do you get what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do. In fact…I kinda feel that way about being a Green Magician."

"Really?"

"Well, sort of." Xander said, starting up the walk again. "I mean, I don't feel it like you do, but…it's the pressure. It's the pressure to suddenly be an expert at Green Magic, and to prepare Madison for being a good Blue Magician. That's so energizing to me, like a calling. I feel the need to strive so much in so little time…and I feel pretty hyped up. Like getting an order of a hundred muffins due in two hours, except more important."

"Heh, muffins. You're a baker at heart…kinda something being a Green Magician could help you in too, right?"

"Hey, I never thought of that!" Xander said, slapping Nick hard on the back, staggering Nick for a second. Xander was heavier on the swing than he thought. "Nice way of putting it, Nick!"

"My pleasure." Nick said, catching his breath.

As they arrived at Rootcore, they were shocked to find such a violent looking scene. Clare was tending to Udonna's wounds, while Vida was busy putting the spiral staircase back together. Pieces of shrapnel from the staircase and the walls still lied about, but they were little more than splinters now. Vida, who was bearing a scar on her face while in her civilian outfit and in a sling, noticed Xander and Nick and smiled.

"Hey, Tree Boy, fix this mess." She barked.

"Hey now, who's the boss around here?" Xander said, giving her his serious look.

"I am, and I told her to let you know that I wanted you to help her." Udonna replied back, wiping the smirk look off Xander's face.

"Yeah, Mr. Green, Mr. Magician of the Forest." Vida replied, sticking her tongue out in a childish manner.

"Now Vida, there will be no immaturity in here while there are dire issues at hand. Now, you and Xander should finish cleaning up." Udonna sternly replied.

"What happened here, Udonna?" Nick said after mindlessly staring at the damage for a few moments.

"We were attacked head-on by a demon from Infershia."

"By that damn Yellow Magician!" Clare chimed in, sounding more infuriated than Udonna.

"Chip?" Xander and Nick said at the same time, stunned by Clare's comment.

"Clare, do not jump to conclusions. Demons are masters of illusion who prey on situations that we are in now. Infershia wishes to split us apart, so they send a demon who can change to disguise itself as Charlie to frame him while he can't defend himself. I must admit, I wasn't fooled for a second. It was a rugged copy; it wasn't even close to the real thing at all."

"I believe you Udonna, if that means anything." Vida said as she looked over at her mentor. "The antidote to the potion we concocted would've knocked him out if it were the real Chip."

"So that's what that powder is…" Udonna said. "Well done, Vida, although I fear that the potency will suffer due to your change in magic branches…"

"We just have to hope what I came up with doesn't do any permanent damage…that is, if anything permanent hasn't been done already." Vida sighed as she finished up her work.

The night was cold, and Vida walked home that night, worrying all the while about Madison. Vida had never walked home alone before, and a sudden sense of dread filled her body. All she could hope for was that Madison was alright, and that the real Chip would arrive at Rootcore soon so that she could make everything normal again. As Vida opened her front door, she found her father sitting by the door in his lounge chair, a bottle of ale sitting on the table next to him.

"Where's Madison?" He asked in his gruff voice. It was obvious that he had finished the bottle earlier in the day than he normally did.

"She's over at Xander's house, helping him with his garden." Vida lied. Ever since her mother passed away, Vida had grown to become her older sister's bodyguard and her confidant. There was nothing Vida wouldn't do to keep Madison out of trouble, and lying was at the bottom of Vida's skills acquired to do just that.

"That Xander…I bet he's having her 'fix his garden', alright…Madison's always getting herself into trouble…"

"Dad, Xander's our boss. You know, at the bakery…"

"I thought your boss's name was Alex! What else ain't you telling me?"

"Dad, dad! It's Xander, as in Alexander. You just got confused."

"…Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, Dad." Vida said with a smile. She walked over and gave her father a bear hug, which he promptly returned. "Maddie's fine. Xander's very polite and moral; he wouldn't do such a thing to Maddie without dating her first. Besides, I don't think he likes Maddie like that."

"Maddie…Maddie…that makes my eldest daughter sound more like she should be my elder grandmother!"

Vida laughed. "Well, what do you want us to call her?"

"Eh, I don't know." He said. "I'm going to bed…if Madison gets home, tell her to do the chores she didn't do today."

"Yes, dad." Vida's dad then lumbered off into a back room, and as soon as he closed the door behind him, Vida took out her wand. "Parle Parfait." She whispered, envisioning Madison's wand. "Madison? Where are you…? Madison…?"

Meanwhile, Tsubasa sat down next to Madison, who was bleeding as she lay unconscious in the forest. He sighed, unable to think of what to do.

_Should I just leave her here…? Well, I can't just leave her lying here…near the fire…to keep warm…yeah, that'll do._

Tsubasa got up and dragged Madison over towards the fire, then began to patch up Madison's wound. He ripped off a piece of his cloak and tied it around her head a few times to apply pressure to the wound, hoping it would be enough.

"Sleep well." He said, kissing her forehead before getting up.

"Madison? Where are you…? Madison…?" Vida's voice called out from Madison's wand nearby. "Madison, say something, please…let me know you're there…"

"Look to the forest and follow the fire." A voice replied back.

"…Chip?" Vida said back, stunned. The connection was cut. "Chip?" Vida jumped up and ran out the door.

Xander had just lied down on the pillow-laden loveseat in the study when Vida's voice came screaming from his wand.

"XANDER! NICK!" She shouted. Nick nearly leaped out of the chair nearby, sending the magic book he was reading flying and landing on Xander's head.

"Ow!" Xander shouted, grabbing his forehead as he sat up. "What in the bloody hell was that for?"

"XANDER! NICK! ARE YOU TWO AWAKE?" Vida shouted.

"Vida, calm down…" Nick said as he picked his wand up off the table next to his chair. "What is it?"

"Madison…she's in the forest…I think Chip is there with her too!"

"Figures." Xander replied flatly. "What a skirt-chaser."

"Like you're any better, Xander. You'd shove your baker's stick so far up a gir-"

"Vi, shut it and get on with your point."

"You two get your brooms and meet me outside the bakery."

"We'll be there soon." Nick closed the transmission. "Alright, I have a problem."

"No broom?" Xander rapidly replied, not missing a beat.

"…yeah."

"That should be no problem for you."

"Huh?"

"You're a Red Magician. Alchemy is your trade; the power to turn lead into steel, coal into diamonds, a pile of twigs into a brick wall!"

"Wow…really?"

"Of course!" Xander said. "I know just the thing!"

Xander dragged Nick into the front yard, where Xander and Nick had parked Nick's bike. Xander uncovered the prized, customed Harley Davidson, giving Nick the look that suggested that it was to be Nick's target.

"Oh hell no…we're not turning my baby into a fucking broomstick." Nick said, taking a few steps back.

"Nick, I don't have another broom for you, and riding this noisy hunk of toxin-spewing metal around will only give away our location. Vida flies brooms only when she wants to be stealthy, so this is our only option."

Nick stared at his bike as he sighed, thinking of how much it meant to him, thinking of how much value it had to him, how much he had given up to keep the relic in good condition. He had carefully repainted the bike a metallic crimson, hand-painted the realistic flames on the front end and the tail pipes, reupholstered the leather seating, and customed the handlebars to wrap ever-so-perfectly around his hands as he rode off into the night. He looked down, defeated. He could only hope that this was worth it.

"C'mon, Nick…you can just alcheme it back later." Xander said.

"Fine…" Nick sighed out. He pointed his wand at his bike, thinking of what to say. "…Motros…Transit…" He closed his eyes tightly and turned away from the sight. "Broma!" A red light shot from his wand, engulfing his bike and transmuting it into a metallic, technology-enhanced broom. Nick looked over, fearing the worst, only to find that his sacrifice wasn't in vain.

The broom itself looked almost like Nick's motorcycle without wheels; the front mirror had shrank, but the seat, handlebars, and overall length remained the same. Where the tailpipes and bumper had been, a bramble of red metallic bars, fit together to imitate a jet engine. It had become more streamlined, and the paint job and hand-painted flames had adjusted accordingly. Nick smiled happily as he walked over to his new bike-broom.

"See? That wasn't hard, was it?" Xander replied, placing his hand on Nick's shoulder as her got close.

"I guess…" Nick said, running his hand over the bike-broom's seat.

"Alright, let's see how good you did." Xander said, lying a broomstick down on the ground. He set his hand palm down and parallel to the broom and said 'Levia', causing the broom to rise slightly above the ground. "Now you try."

"Alright…" Nick mimicked Xander's motions and words, and the bike-broom levitated off the ground until the bottom of it was roughly even with the halfway point of his shin bone.

"Well it works like a broom." Xander said. "Only a broom would respond to the Broom Levitation spell…"

"But will it fly is the question." Nick said.

"Well, take a seat and see."

Nick sighed and sat onto the seat of his broom bike and found that it wasn't much different from sitting on his bike. He adjusted the way he was sitting and got relaxed before grabbing the handlebars. Once he did, however, he found that they had become more like a plane's controls; moving in all four directions, with up and down reversed. He instinctively revved up the bike-broom using the handlebar, which caused the outer metal plates in the back to spin counter-clockwise, while the inner plates spun clockwise while emitting a revving sound.

"Well, well…interesting!" Xander replied as he mounted his broom. "Movrum!" Xander said, levitating the broom farther upwards and next to Nick. "Alright, now you."

"Movrum!" Nick mirrored, which caused both sets of backplates to rotate quickly and create a small wind tunnel. He pushed the handles downwards, which made the bike-broom move straight upwards. He leaned forward and pushed the controls with him, making the bike-broom shoot forward through the air. Nick panicked for a moment, but then regained his composure and stopped the bike-broom from going any farther.

"Lead the way!" Nick said.

"My pleasure!" Xander said, zooming ahead.

Xander led the way from the bakery to his house, but Nick had a hard time keeping behind him. His bike-broom accelerated quickly and decelerated slowly, making him highly unable to keep from flying ahead of Xander. Xander frowned, once again feeling the pangs of jealousy deep within. He sighed as he forced his broom to speed off as fast as it would go, just to even out in speed with Nick's bike-broom.

"Hey, this's actually working!" Nick shouted. Nick was impressed that the bike-broom was both capable of flight and silent besides the sound of wind being swung around the turbines. It sounded like a slightly strong breeze was passing by behind him now, and the bike rode so smoothly through the air that he nearly forgot that there was no ground and no wheels involved. "Am I burning gas with this?"

"Not that I can tell…no black cloud of pollutants from here…" Xander said. "However, it's quite gusty back here…"

"Awesome!" Nick replied with glee. "What a way to beat the energy crisis!"

"Energy crisis?"

"I'll explain later."

Xander and Nick dropped down in front of the bakery, where Vida was eagerly awaiting their arrival. Vida stared at Nick's broom with amazement.

"Is that…is that your noisy motorbike?" Vida asked, pointing and gawking.

"Yeah, it's used to be." Nick replied. "I gotta say, for a broom, it rides like a dream. That, and it's pretty quiet and fuel-efficient."

Vida nodded, then checked her slinged arm. She pressed on her shoulder, smiled, and took her arm out of the sling. "Ha, I'm impressed. Udonna's potions are way better than mine…way too good to be a White Magician, she is."

"White Magician?" Nick asked, puzzled. He had no clue that there were other kinds of Magic Branches besides the core five.

"A White Magician deals with ice magic. It's a pretty exclusive club; you have to be an apprentice to a current White Magician to learn it. It's really strict, rigorous, and very few people learn how to properly utilize the White Branch's plethora of versatile uses." Xander replied, sounding like a textbook.

"Wow, you sound like you read up on it."

"My mother tried. Turns out Water Magic is a breeze compared to Ice Magic." Xander said with a discouraged look on his face as he turned to face Vida. "So Vi, what's going on, exactly?"

"Well, I decided to send Madison a message through her wand, because I've never known Madison to leave her wand anywhere. She gets paranoid about it. But anyways, a different voice answered, and it sounded like Chip. He told me to 'look to the forest and follow the fire', which confused me. But I did a little aerial scouting, and deep in the forest near Silver Falls, it looks like somebody built a giant bonfire. I'm betting that Madison's out there, waiting for us. So, let's get a move on, and be prepared and alert. We're going into a dark part of the forest, farther back than I've ever been before. I'm not going to lie that I am a bit nervous, because we'll be cutting it awfully close to the Mysterian border."

Xander nodded. "Who knows what's crawling around out there…"

"Mysterian border?" Nick asked as he mounted his bike-broom once more.

Xander was already in the air by the time he began to respond. "The border between the Mortal Realm and the Mystic Realm. The forest has become a sort of passageway between realms in the last few thousand years, which has allowed us to keep in touch with the realm…are you getting all this?"

Nick, Vida, and Xander were roughly a hundred feet in the air and just approaching the edge of the forest by the time Nick gave nothing more than a nod of approval. Xander continued on.

"Well, the reason why we're so intertwined with magic is because we've kept in touch with the Mysterian denizens for to last thousand years, while the rest of the world hasn't. I mean, 95 of the time, the Mystic and Mortal realms don't interact, and even then, the Mortal Realm is the one running to the Mystic Realm for some sort of help."

"What a weird co-dependency."

"The only time I can remember it being the other way around was during the war…Mysteria wanted every warrior-wizard in the land to aid in the destruction of Infershia. After it was over…things just went back to normal."

"Sad to hear that."

"Yeah…Mysterians are pretty stuck up. I mean, look at Chip."

"He's not that bad, Xander. He's just more rule-bound than we are." Vida cut in. As she turned to face him, her eye caught something in the distance. "Hey! What's that?"

"What's what?" Xander asked.

"I saw something off in the distance…" Vida said. "I'll go check it out. You two go get Madison."

"But will you be safe?" Nick asked.

"Yeah. As long as I don't get too close or draw attention to myself, I'll be fine."

"Be careful, okay?" Xander replied.

"You know me, Xan. I'm always in trouble. It just varies from day to day. I'm as troublesome as a tornado!" She shouted as she flew away from them.

"That Vida…always getting herself in a scrape." Xander snorted as they continued onwards.

Vida slowly trailed the dark figure, making sure she was well out of sight above it. After nearly five minutes of trailing the dark shadow in front of her, two more shadows came up from below; the two familiar silhouettes of Nai and Mae. Vida dove in closer, hoping to get some information.

"Baka mahoutsukai!" Nai shouted.

"Baka!" Mae shouted as she gently held a giant egg in her hand.

"An egg…?" Vida muttered softly to herself. "What is that…?"

"I have a feeling that you're mistaken, Miss Vankyuria." The figure said. "I have my prey within range."

"Oh do you, Tsubasa?" Nai and Mae exclaimed.

"Am I…?" Vida whispered.

"Welcome, Pink Magician." Tsubasa called out. Vida had her answer. "A Thunder Scout you may be…but a Wind Scout you cannot trick. I know the old Thunder Scout trick of flying high above to avoid being spotted…it never works on somebody trained to know everything around them…" Tsubasa laughed. "Nai, Mae, I shall be finished soon." Tsubasa turned to face Vida, rising up slowly to meet her.

Xander and Nick found Madison easily, and Xander also found her wand lying nearby.

"Alright Nick. How is she?"

"She's bleeding, but she's fine."

"I'll take her back to Rootcore. You go back Vi up. I've got a nasty feeling about this."

"Okay." Nick took to the skies quickly, hoping that he'd find Vida quickly. He frowned as the night sky began to grow darker.

He pointed his wand at the sky, turning the sky black with thunderclouds.

Vida folded her hands in prayer. "Almighty Wingel, give me the strength to withstand this fight…"

"Invoking the Saints is foolish and will only dilute favor." Tsubasa replied. "Besides, the Saints favor revenge against the deserving wicked." Lightning began to crackle in the sky.

"The deserving…wicked…? What did I do?"

"You killed my sister! You killed my family! You deserve to share their fate!"

Vida gasped as she had an epiphany. She reached into her pocket, grabbed a handful of the antidote, tossed it up in the air, then quickly grabbed her wand and blew it at Tsubasa all within a matter of seconds, which was all she had before the lightning bolt smashed into her broom and split it in two, sending her freefalling through the air.

Nick spotted a small explosion in the air, and forced his bike-broom to accelerate as fast as it would go. He spotted a large flaming object and flew forwards to catch it.

"Vida! I'm coming!" Nick shouted, zooming upwards to catch her. As he got underneath her, he pointed his wand upwards, trying to remember the spell he had in mind. "Um…Hydrae…Minima!" a weak jet of water shot upwards, dousing the flames on Vida's robe. As Vida fell closer to the bike, Nick held his arms out and caught her. He noticed that she was still conscious, so he tried to ease her pain.

"Hey there, nice of you to drop in." Nick joked. Vida smiled weakly. "How're ya feeling?"

"Shaken…not…stirred…" Vida replied shakily before she passed out.

"Well, at least you're okay…" Nick replied as he sat Vida on his bike comfortably before diving back towards the Rootcore.

Chip slowly woke up, feeling as if he had had been sleeping forever and a day. His first shock was that he was high up in the air on his broom. His second was the thunderstorm raging above him. Chip quickly spiraled into a panic attack and began gasping for air.

"Where…where am I…?" He wondered, trying to collect his thoughts as they swam about on the endless ocean of his mind. He looked down and spotted Nick and a heavily wounded Vida and it all came back to him.

"Oh hell…" He then spotted Morrigan shooting up towards him, with Nai and Mae hot on her heels.

"Destroy the Magicians, or this egg turns into my breakfast!" Morrigan shouted, pointing to the egg in Mae's hand.

"Do it!" Nai and Mae shouted.

Chip looked up at the clouds and grinned. He knew what was coming.

"No." He snapped back. Mae spitefully dropped the egg, which Chip began to dive for. He laughed as he caught the egg and flew off, and before the three vampires could respond, a bolt of lightning shot down and struck them all. Their howls of pain summoned Wolzard to the field.

"Wolzard!" The vampiric trio screamed as they fell.

"Speak no more." Wolzard said. He drew his saber and drew a circle in the air with the tip. "Uuza Douza Uujira." A purple circle appeared in the air below the trio, which caught Nick's attention. The circle reminded him of something he had seen before, but he wasn't sure where he had seen it.

As the trio disappeared, Nick dropped down and called out to Wolzard.

"Ah, the Red Magician." Wolzard replied in a warm tone. Nick became cautious; normally people out to kill somebody normally didn't reply to them in such a tone.

"I want a rematch, right here, right now." Nick said, giving Wolzard an intimidating look. Wolzard laughed.

"Boy, you should be worrying more about the lives of your friends than a petty fight with me!" Wolzard replied. "Besides, I will not attack the leader of an army as shattered as yours. Regroup, and I promise you a fight."

Nick looked at Vida, then back at Wolzard. "Fair enough. I'll round everybody up, and then we'll duke it out. Sounds like a good deal to me."

"Then for now I shall spare you." Wolzard said, sheathing his sword. He turned to walk off, but stopped after three steps. "I must mention this to you before I go. I am highly impressed in your progression, Red Magician. I will keep my eyes on you…be sure of it. Perhaps our fight will be more than just a cakewalk for me…" Wolzard grinned, then disappeared as a purple, resymboled magic circle wordlessly appeared and drew Wolzard in.

Nick sighed, then began to fly off towards the Rootcore.

As fast as Nick's bike-broom was, Chip's wooden broom was built for speed and completely took advantage of it, beating both Xander and Nick back to the Rootcore. In the darkness, he silently snuck upstairs, the egg gently cradled in his arms.

Chip stealthily opened his bedroom door, locking it as soon as he got in. He then gathered up a few blankets and a large wicker basket and made a makeshift nest for the egg.

"There, now you're safe…" Chip cooed in a tone parents tended to use on infants. "Uncle Charlie made everything all better…" He lightly kissed the egg before plopping down on his bed. He closed his eyes and let his memories of the last day and a half come back to him.

Xander was the next to arrive with Madison in his arms, carrying her in like a newly-wed bride.

"Don't worry, Maddie. We're back at Rootcore, so we're safe…" Xander said softly. He carried her over to the couch in front of the fire, then covered her up with his cloak to keep her warm. He then grabbed a pillow from the lounge chair and slid it underneath Madison's head.

"There…nice and comfortable…" Xander said. "Now to patch you up…"

"I hope there's enough room on that couch for two…" Nick said as he carried Vida in over his shoulder.

"What happened to her?" Xander asked, wide-eyed in shock.

"Infershia hired somebody to attack us, and he got Vida…blew up her broom and everything…"

"Is she alright?"

"She's alive, if that's what you mean." Nick said, sitting her in her chair at the table and propping her up. "How's Madison?"

"She's okay. She's just sleeping. I was about to heal her up…" Xander said, walking over to the small medicinal herb garden Madison had set up for him as basic training. "Alright…let's see…"

Chip opened his eyes as he slowly tuned in to the sounds downstairs. Somebody had also begun to dash down the flight the stairs from the floor above, which reminded him that there was, in fact, a floor above them.

"You may not be safe here, little one…" Chip muttered as he looked over at the egg.

Chip sauntered over to the door and listened into the commotion.

Clare gasped as she saw Vida and Madison unconscious. "Oh great Magiel! What happened to them?"

"It's been a mess tonight, Clare." Nick replied.

Clare ran up to Vida to inspect her burns, but Nick grabbed her gently, and sat her down in his seat. "She'll be fine. Xander's working on something for them."

"Have you guys found Chip yet?" She asked.

"Not yet. We'll find him soon, though."

Chip sighed. He hated the feeling he had, a surge of regret. He wanted to run downstairs and scream about how sorry he was, but he wasn't sorry at all for wanting to save the only family he had left. He looked down at the egg.

"You were worth it. Even if they never trust me again…you were worth every moment."

"…Did you guys hear something?" Xander asked, looking at the stairs. "I mean, I have excellent hearing, but sometimes I hear things."

"I think that was one of those moments, Xander." Nick replied.

"Shame. I thought I heard Chip."

Chip's eyes widened. _Damn, he's good._

It was three am, and as most three am's are, it was silent, cold, and dark. However, Xander had lit a fire for Madison and Vida to keep them warm and to give them some light in case they woke up during the night. Xander and Nick helped Clare up to her room before going to theirs hours ago, but for Chip, sleep was evading him. He was racked with guilt, misery, and a building need to apologize for using everybody around him. Of course, it wasn't like him to apologize, but it wasn't like him to flirt, either, even if he was under the influence of an unfortunate mishap involving potion ingredient mix-ups. Chip wasn't used to thinking with anything but his head and his instincts; however, the last thirty-six hours had been decision after decision made with his emotions, and it bothered him immensely.

Chip got out of bed, unlocked his door, and walked downstairs. He stopped in front of the dais to stare down at Vida and Madison. He had done nasty physical and emotional damage to both of them; it struck him as odd since he wasn't one to hit women. Some how, some way, he had lost sense of himself and everything he lived by. He was mentally going on the fly more so than he physically built his life around. He was always running, always leaving, always on the move, but he never stopped thinking about the task at hand and the consequences that would fall on him if he failed. He never once considered the feelings of those he spied on, about the lives he ruined in his blind destruction of his enemies; it wasn't his style to care about the demons that threatened his life. But this time he struck out against two people he hardly knew, against two people who had been nothing but kind to him.

He walked down and ruffled Vida's short black and white hair while walking over to Madison, taking a seat in the chair next to her. Vida rolled slowly back into consciousness, making sure not to open her eyes to alert Chip that she was awake.

Madison slowly opened her eyes as she realized somebody was close by. "Chip…?"

"Hey." Chip said. Madison panicked and sat up. "No, no, it's okay, Madison. Vida fixed me. I'm back to being me."

Madison stood up and walked over to the chair. She bent over and picked Chip up by his jaw, staring into his eyes.

"Um…hi." Chip said, giving a look that was a mix of fear, nervousness, and curiosity. Madison smiled and let him go.

"You're you now, I see it."

"Well, glad you…can see that…wait, how can you tell?"

"The last time I did that, you flirted with me, and your eyes looked like hazy glass orbs. Now they're a lovely, healthy shade of brown."

"I'm glad I have…healthy looking eyes…" Chip was worried about Madison; perhaps he had hit her harder than he thought. Perhaps, however, she was flirting with him…he had to do something to fix his mistake.

"Ugh, Madison…I'm not sure if you realize that I haven't been thinking clearly lately…"

"It's okay, I know." Her smile lightly faded from a wide smile of glee to a closed-mouth smile of kindness.

"And I…I, uh…" His insides twisted at the thought of apologizing, even to Madison, even though he was completely wrong. "I wasn't…thinking when I…" He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rising in fear. He never apologized for anything, and it was difficult even thinking of the right words. "Wh…when I hit you and…and I…didn't…think about it…and…I…" His vocal chords were twisting in anxiety, his face blushed, and the only way he could keep his right hand from shaking was by grabbing the back of his neck with it.

"It's okay. I know you're trying to apologize, so I forgive you."

Chip stared at her. "You…you do?"

"Of course. It's what I do best. Forgive. One must never spend their life hating people over petty things."

"But I hit you in the head."

"But you're sorry for it. I can tell you're not lying about it."

"Ugh…that's good, I think."

A moment of silence surrounded them for a moment, then Madison's stomach broke it.

"Are you hungry?" Chip asked.

"Just a little, but I'll make myself some cocoa…" She went to walk away, but she grew dizzy and began to fall. Chip caught her just in the nick of time, and sat her back on the couch.

"Relax. I think I hit you harder than I thought I did." He said. He handed her Xander's cloak and slowly and gently pushed her back into a lying position. "I'll make you something. It's the least I can do for you."

"Just nothing with too much animal in it."

"Oh now you're taking the fun out of it." Chip replied, trying to make a joke. Madison weakly smiled, which indicated that she thought it worked, too.

Several hours rolled by, and the Rootcore was alive with the smells of a campground cookout. Xander and Nick wandered downstairs, and were shocked to see Chip stirring away over the cauldron.

"Hey!" Nick said. "Where have you been?"

"Does it matter? He's here! Our search is over!"

"Like a loyal dog, Chip came right back home." Vida said as she sat up in her chair. Chip flashed her a dirty look, then went back to stirring.

"Vida, that was rude. He made you breakfast, and yo-" Madison was cut off by the stern-looking Vida.

"No, he made you breakfast and apologized to you because he hit you upside the head. He sets me on fire and destroys my broom, and all I get is an afterthought and a hair ruffle. I'm not going to be nice to somebody who tried to kill me."

"Well, it's not like you didn't deserve it." Chip replied back, flashing her yet another dirty look.

"Just because I made a mistake doesn't mean we all have to suffer! The second you get a change to exact revenge on me, you sign right up to kill us all, don't you? What a fucking team player you are!"

"Well, I would be if you hadn't shot my team out of the sky!" Chip shouted as he marched himself over to the round table while Vida had gotten up out of her chair and taken an aggressive stance. Madison, Xander, and Nick had all taken defensive positions in case the fight turned physical.

"That was a mistake! If you want forgiveness, you gotta be willing to dish it out, too!"

"Well, maybe if I meant more to you, maybe your opinion would matter to me!"

"Excuse me?" Vida was taken aback. Vida was quite certain that she was the second most compassionate person next to her sister in all of Briarwood, and for somebody to say she didn't care about something was considered hearsay.

"You heard me. I know you think I'm just some backwater hick from Mysteria because I don't have a home and I go wherever I please, but I'll bet my prized bow that I know more than all of you put together about the situation at hand right now. So unless I get some sort of respect from you, and everybody else, I don't want to hear a word about how I'm not nice or how I'm not a team player. We have more important things to worry about than about our own personal friendliness contest here, you understand?"

"Charlie." Udonna called up from the stairs. Chip looked up, turning red from embarrassment. "Your comments are uncalled for. Remove yourself from here before you do something you regret."

"Yes, Udonna…" Chip said, making his way towards the stairs.

"Outside."

"Can I get something first?"

"Make it quick. I wish to speak to them without you here."

"Yes, Udonna…" Chip's bursts of anger had dissipated, leaving a smoldering crater of hatred fizzling in Chip's demeanor as he ran up the stairs.

After a minute, Madison had managed to calm Vida down by getting her a glass of water to drink and clench her hands around to relieve the stress she was feeling. Chip had taken his broom from his room and walked out the door silently, dressed in a faded gold peasant top and a pair of loose leather pants to go with his well-tailored pair of leather boots.

"I hope he's gonna be okay…" Nick said, crawling out from behind the dais.

"Oh, to hell with him." Vida snapped.

"I think hell would be too boring for him." Xander replied, crawling out from underneath the staircase.

"My children, please take your respective seats." Udonna said, breaking up the chatter. They all took their seats at the table while Udonna stood behind Chip's chair. "I know that it's rude to talk about people behind their backs, but I think it's best if Charlie were gone for the moment. I wouldn't want him to hear what I have to say in his condition." The quartet of magicians nodded. Clare walked down from her room and stood between Nick and Xander, hoping to gain insight on the situation at hand.

"You see, I have known Charlie and his family for many years, and I can safely say that Charlie is a very…closed sort of child. He grew up in a small family, and he was on the go at a young age, learning all he knows. One would think that change would come easy to him living like that, but it doesn't. Trying to fit in with a group of people from a different mindset, a different world…it's not easy for anyone. And I'm sure by now that you have heard of his recent loss…"

"That's my fault." Vida chimed in with a guilty tone in her voice.

"Accidents happen, Vi." Madison said, setting her arm over her sister's shoulder.

"But he doesn't need to take it out on all of you guys. I'm willing to accept the fact that I was wrong, and he can beat on me all he wants for it…but he was prepared to kill us all…"

"All for a stupid egg, too." Nick added.

"An egg?" Vida asked, her eyes lighting up. "What kind of egg? Was it a big, scaly egg?"

"Kinda…it was teardrop-shaped and covered in scales that were kinda mustardy in color…like a brownish yellow."

"How big was it?" Vida was entranced by the description.

"I'm not sure how big it was exactly, but if I had to guess…from the tip of my middle finger to my elbow." Nick said, giving a visual using his left arm.

"It was a hippogryph egg…" Vida said, drifting into a pensive trance.

"Ahem." Udonna coughed, catching the group's attention back on her. They all turned their heads to face her once more. "As I was saying…" She roughly commented before going on, eying Nick and Vida, who shrunk softly into their chairs. "I just…I just don't know how to deal with him at the moment. I fear that he'll become unwilling to work with any of you if he keeps sinking into this…this sudden darkness. It's been there since he was young, but it's gotten worse in the last few weeks, and I'm just afraid we might lose him to Infershia, or worse…"

"There's something worse than Infershia?" Nick asked.

"I'm afraid he might turn to…Black Magic." Vida, Madison, Clare, and Xander gasped as Udonna spoke.

"So black magic is evil, even here…" Nick replied.

"Nick, black magic here isn't all about turning people into frogs and living with black cats," Clare commented. "black magic here is far worse."

"Black magic here is all about summoning demons." Xander commented.

"Stealing other people's magic." Vida replied.

"Resurrecting the dead and other unnatural things." Madison added.

"And above all, losing all sense of one's humanity to the point of losing one's soul." Udonna finished.

"That's horrible." Nick replied, feeling sorry that he asked.

"The Madoushi, or Black Magicians, are servants of darkness, gaining magical strength through theft and corruption. One becomes a Madoushi when one's heart is filled with despair and malice, and in desperation, they reach out to the infinite powers of darkness to do as they wish. However, limitless power comes with a price; the darkness slowly consumes them until they become a slave to it. This is why I fear for Charlie…I know his desires to bring his sister back from death…I fear that if none of you can reach him, that he'll become tainted with the notion that turning to the Black Arts is his only option. Just knowing that this is a possible road is shameful to me…" Udonna looked down, trying to hide her tears. She sighed deeply, then looked back up.

"Doesn't he know that there was never any hope of saving her?" Xander asked.

"On the contrary, Xander, there was. However, I didn't have the option at the time." Udonna sighed as Clare rushed to get her some tea. "I suppose that, in spite of my hopes to avoid doing this, I will have to tell this story."

"What story?" Vida asked.

"The story of that night…" Clare quickly handed Udonna a teacup and a kettle, then took out her wand. She pointed to Chip's chair, then to Udonna's chair. "Versia!" She said, making the chairs change places. Udonna sat down in her chair, took a sip of her tea, then cleared her throat.

"It was shortly after the Wind Scouts were downed two weeks ago…"

_Udonna walked forwards, wand firmly clenched in hand. She sensed evil around her, and it was focused on the hooded figure in front of her. She decided to lay low and find out what was going on. Udonna could hear cries of pain from two different voices, which tore at her. She was worried about the odds of saving both of them being so slim._

_She stared at the hooded figure as they slowly bent down picked the whimpering Chip up by the scruff of his collar. He was in so much pain that even his whimpers of pain and fear were little more than squeaky exhales. The figure hissed, sending off a signal to Udonna; Chip was in danger, for he was in the grasp of a vampire on a carrion feeding._

"_Put him down!" Udonna shouted as she aimed her wand. A blast of icy white light shot out from the tip of her wand, smashing into the hooded vampire and making it drop Chip. The figure pulled back their hood, revealing themselves to be Vankyuria._

"_You've interrupted my meal, white witch…" Vankyuria hissed._

"_Help!" A voice cried out from nearby._

"_Icaryia…" Chip muttered weakly as he tried to roll over to his side._

"_Charlie! Hold on!" Udonna shouted, firing off another bold of icy light. Vankyuria tried to counter with a dark magic bolt, but it was useless. The icy light bolt smashed through the darkness, connecting with Vankyuria and sending her flying back a great distance. Udonna took the time to grab Chip gently and pick him up before running for Icaryia. However, Vankyuria intercepted their run._

"_Give me the boy and I won't kill you, you horrid old hag!" Vankyuria shouted._

"_Let me go…" Chip whimpered. "I'm okay…just save Ica…"_

"_No, I won't let you have him." Udonna replied, clutching tightly to Chip and making him wince._

"_Then I'll be feeding on both your corpses tonight!" Vankyuria cackled, firing off multiple dark magic bolts. Udonna quickly conjured up a shield which deflected the shots._

"_I'm…so cold…" Icaryia mumbled as she began to pass out._

"_Let me go…I can…take care…of myself…" Chip mumbled almost incoherently._

"_Charlie, you can hardly string a few words together, let alone fend for yourself. We have no choice."_

"_Please, save her…I'll never give in…just…get her…they'll have to kill me first…" Chip seemed to be attempting to speak two sentences at once._

"_We're going, so brace yourself."_

"_No…what about…Ica…?" Chip replied._

"_She's not worth my time anyways. Give me the fresh blood, witch, or the Hellpit will be nothing more than a walk in the park when I'm done with you!" Vankyuria threatened._

"_Enough with your petty bragging!" Udonna shouted, firing one last blast before turning to run._

"_Don't leave Ica…" Chip whined as he struggled to escape. "No, we have to go back…"_

"_Charlie…you're only hurting yourself…"_

"_No! We have to save her!"_

"_There's no hope for her! We have to leave!"_

"_Icaryia!" Chip shouted, exerting the last of his strength before collapsing in exhaustion in Udonna's arms._

"So that's the story." Udonna said, taking her last sip of tea.

"So I take it that he was close to…Icaryia…" Vida asked.

"Yes, very much so. She was his idol and his older sister. They were close the last time I saw them, and I can safely presume that it was the same way before her death."

Vida got up and walked out silently, and Madison followed her. Vida got nearly a quarter-mile away from Rootcore before Madison gained the courage to speak.

"Vida." Madison said, making Vida stop. "Vida, stop this."

"You're not mom, Madison." Vida replied, sitting down and crackling leaves beneath herself. Madison bit her lip, but she knew she had to continue.

"I know I'm not mom, but dad isn't going to stop you from feeling sorry for yourself."

"I'm not feeling sorry for myself!" Vida replied, tearing up. "I'm feeling sorry for Chip! I made a horrible mistake, and there's no way that I will ever be able to make up for it!" Vida wiped her eyes and sniffled. "He's going to hate me for the rest of our lives…he's never going to forgive me…he might even…"

Madison sat down in front of Vida, took her hands and pulled her in for an embrace.

"He might fall into darkness because of me…I won't live with myself knowing I created a Madoushi…"

"I promise you that Udonna won't let it happen. None of us will let him fall…we're a team, regardless of how together we are…" Madison said optimistically.

"Maddie…"

"Yeah?"

"He talks to you, right?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe you can reach out to him. You're the kindest person I know…if you can't help him, then I don't know…"

"Sure, thanks for putting the pressure on me…" Madison replied.

"Well, we all gotta try…but I think that he'll listen to you much more than he'll listen to the rest of us…"

Madison silently nodded as she helped her sister up. "Everything will be fine. We'll make sure that nothing bad happens to Chip ever again for as long as he's with us."

Vida smiled and nodded. "I'll try my hardest, as I'm sure you will, too."

"We all will, Vi. We need him as much as he needs us. Now, let's go back."

They began walking, and Vida sniffled a bit. "Would you happen to know a spell to hide my red eyes?"

"How about this?" Madison asked, offering her sleeve with a smile. Vida laughed and wiped her eyes on Madison's sleeve, then blowing her nose with it.

"Ugh! Nose germs!" Madison jokingly scolded. "You could've used your sleeve for that!"

"But your sleeves are softer!" Vida jokingly whined back. They then shared a laugh as they walked back in.

"Ah! Our rays of sunshine return again!" Xander replied happily.

"Welcome back, you two." Udonna said. "Now, I have to get a few errands done, and I need this place to be empty, so I want you all to grab whatever you need for the night and hopefully some magic texts, and I want you all to return home until tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Udonna." They all replied.

"Now, get!"

"Who wants to spend the night at my house?" Xander asked.

"I do!" Clare, Nick, Vida, and Madison replied.

"What about Chip?" Madison asked as the rest of the group ran upstairs.

"If Charlie comes back, I will have him visit the rest of the group."

"Okay." Madison bowed slightly and walked upstairs.

The group, after loading up traveling bags and running downstairs, started making broom arrangements. Nick volunteered to carry Vida, and Xander happily volunteered to carry Madison, who turned a few shades paler than normal at the mere thought of flying.

"What about me?" Clare asked.

"You're staying here, Clare." Udonna replied. "I need to g out for a bit, and somebody has to watch Rootcore while I'm out."

"Aw! But Udonna…" Clare whined.

"I won't be long. Now, every body go back to what they were doing. Clare, set your things over by the bookcase." Xander, Nick, Madison, and Vida left, and Udonna waited nearly a minute afterwards before she spoke to Clare.

"Clare, I need you to something very important for me." Udonna said sternly as she faced Clare.

"Yes, Miss Udonna?" Care asked as she switched Chip's and Udonna's chairs back to the original positions.

"I need you to watch Rootcore, and defend it if you must."

"I understand. You already said this."

"I'm not sure when I'm coming back, Clare. If I am not back by tomorrow morning, you are to watch over the Magicians in my stead."

"But Miss Udonna, I'm not ready. There's so much I have yet to learn…"

"The best leaders are not the fully skilled, but the ones who grow with their students. Now, keep the Xenotome and your wand close by. I shall alert you when I am returning. Now, take your post, and remember to send Charlie to Xander's house if he returns. I don't want him to be up in his room alone while I am gone."

"Yes, Miss Udonna. I promise to do what I can." Clare replied with an affirmative nod.

"Good. Now remember, guard the Xenotome, and make sure Charlie spends time with the others." Udonna summoned her broom and riding cloak with a flick of her wand.

"Good luck!" Clare replied as Udonna walked out. After waiting for a few moments, Clare slumped in her chair. "I'm doomed."


	5. Hunt For The Headmistress

Charlie Thorn, though distressed and bitter from the actions of one Vida Rocca, could only focus on one thing as he flew: how in the world did somebody like Madison Rocca manage to live life without ever flying over the trees as the sun rose above the horizon? Maybe it was just something he took for granted; taking the time every morning to watch the sun rise on a new day. He hadn't done his morning routine in two weeks, and he missed it greatly. Although it was quiet without Icaryia and his parents, Charlie was finding it ever so peaceful thinking about how comical it would be for Madison to be buzzing about on her own broom, screaming as she blazed past him as she tried to ride a broom on such a lovely morning.

He looked down and sighed, giving a solemn moment of silence to his family before diving down into the slowly waking town of Briarwood.

Normally, amongst the early morning townspeople, he would have stuck out if he had opted to hear his hooded riding cloak. However, his current outfit made him blend in easily. The town of Briarwood, even in the early morning hours, was a bit on the busy side with people all around opening up shops. Charlie had decided to be their first potential buyer of the day as he visually shopped around. It was almost Mysterian in design, all the little markets lined up together along the streets with families owning their own little piece of the street, flashing old-world signs with pictures of what they sold on them.

After stumbling around for a bit, he found himself walking down an empty residential block. He sighed contentedly took to the skies and began hovering over the rooftops, finding comfort in that fact that he was alone. Despite his lack of experience in solo adventures in unknown places, Charlie found it oddly calming to be flying around on his own. His sense of loneliness faded as he heard the sound of another broom flying above him. He looked up and found an adolescent boy clothed in a yellow riding cloak flying high above him.

"Hey up there!" Chip called out.

"Oh, hello down there!" The boy said. He sank down from the clouds and hovered right next to Chip. "I've never seen you before…are you new?"

"Sort of, yeah."

"Oh…" The boy smiled. "You must be from Mysteria. Welcome! I'm Taliesin, the youngest Yellow Magician around!" He offered his hand for a shake, which Chip took.

"The name's Charlie Thorn, but I go by my nickname Chip, mostly. I just started using Yellow Magic, myself."

"Ah…well, if you don't mind, may I give you some advice?"

Chip wasn't used to others giving him advice besides his parents, but he figured that if the kid knew a few things, it'd be worth it to listen.

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Well, first thing is to make sure you have a bright mind. Are you quick-witted, able to make lightning-fast decisions?"

Chip paused for a moment to think. "Well, I-"

"Ah, you can't be like that. A Yellow Magician must be able to think deeply and quickly in the heat of combat, utilizing all sorts of strategies and such. It's not all that hard, but it does take practice."

"Okay…"

"Sorry if I confused you. I sometimes forget how fast my own mind goes…" Taliesin smiled. "Listen, you look like you will make a fine Yellow Magician in time. You need a tiny bit of practice, but with a calculating mind, all is possible."

Chip smiled. "Thank you…"

"Taliesin!" A voice called from below.

"Coming, Miss Clarin!" Taliesin shouted back. He then sighed and looked at Chip. "Well, it was nice meeting you, fellow Yellow Magician. May inspiration brightly strike you always…like lightning!" Taliesin laughed, then slowly descended down to greet Clarin.

"The mortal realm sure has its share of odd people…" Chip mumbled to himself as he turned back around and headed for Rootcore.

"Vida!" Xander shouted from the back room of the Viner Street Bakery. "Get these bread loaves out of the oven!"

"Why can't you get them yourself?" Vida asked as she delicately organized a bouquet of flowers on a small bistro table inside the bakery. She stuck a lovely pink rose in the middle of the bouquet and smiled.

"Are you taking flowers out of my garden again?" Madison mildly scolded as she took the money out of the cash drawer to count it.

"Only some of the older ones out of the square garden." Vida replied. "You know they're only gonna last a week or so anyways, right?"

"True…" Vida then shot Madison a slick look. "but you know…maybe we could have somebody revive them once in a while…"

"I'm not a Green Magician any…oh, I see!" Madison grinned back.

"VIDA!" Xander screamed. "The bread turned black!"

"Take them out then!"

"I just did!" Xander growled lightly and tossed the bread loaves away. "Madison! What is this mess you've made in the kitchen?"

"Try it!" Madison replied.

"Clean it up or put it away! I have to remake the bread since your stupid sister let it burn!"

"You could've gotten it yourself!" Vida shouted back. She then sighed deeply and went back to making center bouquets for the tables. "Ugh, what in the name of Magiel is his issue?"

"Male PMS, I think."

"I HEARD THAT!"

"Ugh…" Vida growled.

Just as Madison was closing up the register, Nick walked in, taking a break from practicing on his bike-broom.

"Hey Nick." Vida said.

"Hey." Nick said back.

"How's the broom riding going?" Madison asked.

"It's kinda like the time my friend Shane invited me to fly his uncle's private plane, only it goes faster and a lot smoother through the air." Nick answered as he took off his helmet and fixed his hair using the display case as a weak mirror.

"Fun." Vida replied.

"You wanna try it?" Nick asked as he sat down in the chair nearest to the door.

"Maybe later."

"Good, because I don't feel like getting up to show you the controls." Nick replied with a grin as he lied back.

"Hey Nick!" Xander called out from back. "Could you lend a hand? The girls are being lazy today!" Vida rolled her eyes at his comment, and Madison sent a glare shooting toward the back room. Nick sighed in exhaustion and got up, taking off his biker gloves and jacket as he made his way into the back room.

Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Udonna walked through the forest, searching for what she had sensed before. A darkness that was embracing and engaging, yet powerful and malicious. She knew the source of the darkness's power, and of its wielder, whose life energy was a long lost memory, reaching out and drawing her to it.

"Where are you…?" Udonna muttered to the wand, hoping the object of her hunt would speak. She stopped suddenly, as she felt the wave of darkness drawing near. She held her wand steady, waiting for the darkness to come. "I do not fear you, whatever you are…just show yourself and speak…" Udonna said loudly as a warning.

"I promise you that you will regret not fearing me, White Magician…" Wolzard said as he emerged from behind a tree. "You are brave to come here alone…but you are also a fool for doing so…"

Back at the Rootcore, Chip walked through the doors to find Clare sitting in Udonna's chair, staring at the Xenotome intently while gripping her wand tightly. The only way he knew it was Clare was that Clare's long, curly hair was lightly unrolling out of her cloak's hood.

"Hey Clare." Chip said, making her nearly leap out of her chair.

"Oh! Chip! Welcome back!" She replied with an air of nervousness in her tone.

"Thanks." Chip weakly smiled as he set his broom up against his chair. "Where's Udonna?"

"She's…busy! Busy…looking for some potion ingredients!" Clare's voice squeaked a bit as she stammered out a lie.

"Now tell me the truth." Chip replied, walking up to her.

"That's the truth!" Clare scooted away from him.

"C'mon now. I haven't seen you in six years, but you're still the same horrible liar you've always been." Chip laughed.

"I can't imagine you remembering that far back with little things like that…" Clare replied. Clare herself suffered from frequent bouts of forgetfulness, which resulted in her constant bumbling and failures, and anybody who possessed even normal memory of things astonished her.

"Oh, Wind Scout training requires that you be able to have at least a running mental notepad of everything on everybody."

"Sounds like a pain."

"Oh, anybody could do it, even you."

"Don't lie to me…" Clare said, hanging her head.

"Clare, you gotta have faith in yourself. I remember that you would make rune charms for good luck and give them to us before we left here…where is that happy, confident Clare?"

"You…remember my runes?" She looked up at him.

"Of course." Chip reached underneath his shirt to reveal a small vial containing a mini scroll.

"Oh, you still have it!" Clare said, hugging Chip tightly. Chip took a step back in surprise before gradually hugging her back. "That means so much to me!"

"Well, I gotta say, I think it was the only thing that saved me from losing my mind down in the Hellpit."

"Oh…" Clare said as a thought passed through her mind. "Did they…hurt you?"

"Not in ways I couldn't handle." Chip replied. "But I'm okay. Not even Enma himself could break me!" He proclaimed as pulled back from Clare and gave a heroic stance. Clare laughed.

"Well, I hate to end our little reunion, but Udonna didn't want yo-"

"If you're telling me to leave, you'd better tell me what's up with Udonna."

"Well, the truth is…she didn't tell me much about what she was doing…" Clare bit her lip. Chip knew exactly what it meant; Udonna was going to be doing something dangerous.

"I hope she isn't thinking about rushing into Infershia on her own…"

"Udonna isn't that stupid…she must be out trying to find something important…"

"I hope she's okay…she said she didn't know when she was coming back…"

"Udonna's a great sorceress. I trust that she's okay out there alone."

"Me too…it's just that…I don't know…it doesn't feel the same this time…why would she makes plans in case she was gone for a while if she believed she'd be coming back…?"

Chip pondered for a moment, then walked silently towards the staircase.

"Chip…before you go…I just wanna say I'm sorry."

"Hm?" Chip asked as he stopped halfway up the stairs to the second floor.

"I…I accused you of things you didn't do. I'm sorry. I just feared…I feared that they corrupted you when you were in the Hellpit…and when that demon came in disguised as you…"

"What demon?" Chip asked, walking back over to Clare. "What happened while I was gone?"

"A demon came here and attacked us…it had disguised itself as you…the creature had blue eyes, though…but who knows what becoming a demon could do to somebody…"

"It's okay, Clare. You were being cautious. I forgive you." He sighed and laughed. "If it had been the other way around, I would've done the same thing."

"That's good to know." Clare nervously replied.

"Don't worry. Udonna will be fine."

"Thanks."

"Now just sit back and relax. Udonna will be back before you know it."

"You're right. I should have faith in her strength." Clare sat down in her chair, smiling happily.

"Alright, I'll gather a few things…how long am I packing for?"

"Pack for the day."

"Okay."

"Oh, and Udonna wants you to spend time with the other Magicians. I know you may not like it, bu-"

"I'll be fine. Where are they?" Chip shouted from his room.

"Ugh…I don't know. Ask them!"

"Fine…" Chip sighed as he finished throwing together a small travel bag. He bent over and gingerly picked up the egg, blanket and all. "I'm not letting you out of my sight, Little One. Uncle Charlie's going to bring you along for the ride. Besides, I should introduce you to the open air…it'll be your second home soon…" Chip then wrapped the egg and blanket in his bedsheet before leaving.

Deep in the forest, Udonna was sizing up Wolzard, and vice versa.

"What are you…?" Udonna asked.

"My dear, I am a great Madoushi. The doomed who choose to challenge me have given me the name Wolzard, the Dark Wolf Knight. If you choose to leave now, I shall spare you."

"You…you are not from Infershia. Tell me…where are you from?"

"You doubt my alliance to the great and omniscient Enma, White Magician?"

"Oh, that I don't doubt. Your soul is as black as a raven's tail. What I doubt is that you are borne from the depths of Infershia. Who are you? Why did you take Blagel's life?"

"Those who challenge my master are doomed to suffer and die for eternity, as you and your Magicians will soon learn." He drew his sword from its sheath. "Use your magic. Show me the true strength of the White Magician. I will not give you a chance to run this time, only a chance to prepare yourself for battle."

"So I shall." She raised her wand above her head, pointing the snow charm on the wide end of the wand upwards. "Maagi Magi Majiiro!"

The Magic Circle that was engraved into the table in Rootcore appeared underneath Udonna's feet, shining brightly in hues of white. A hoop of white magic traveled upwards towards her wand, and as it traveled, her clothes were transformed into a beautiful white form-fitting uniform, including a black-visored white helmet adorned with a snowflake. Her wand transformed into a black stick with the Magic Circle center crest as a sort of sheath, the snow charm remaining at the top of it.

"Brutal as a blizzard! The magician of snow and ice, Mystic Force White Ranger!" She shouted, hoping to intimidate Wolzard a little as she gave an intimidating pose. Wolzard seemed unphased.

"Not intimidated easily, I see…" She held her wand out, the snowflake charm pointing towards herself. "MagiStaff Longsword!" The black part of the staff doubled in length, and the white heart-shaped piece on the inside shot outwards, revealing a sharp blade inside. A pair of snow and ice ropes laced around the blade, finishing the transformation as they touched the tip of the longsword.

"My sword's bigger than yours, Wolzard." Udonna tauntingly joked.

"It doesn't matter if your sword was ten times bigger than mine, you'd still be weak against my power." He took a swing at her, and she parried.

"I'm only as weak as your are."

"I doubt it."

Back at the bakery, Xander began rushing around between the front room and back room just getting his cinnamon buns out before lunch, which were a big seller on the weekends. Just then, a fuming customer burst through the door, causing Madison and Vida to hide behind the counter.

"Oh Magiel, it's that guy again…" Vida whispered.

"Why does Xander still fill special orders for him again…?"

The man pushed up his wiry frames as he rang the bell next to the register. Xander poked his head out from the back room.

"George! So nice to see you!" Xander said with a toothy grin.

"Eh." George mumbled.

"If you have a special order, it'll have to wai-"

"No! I'm not waiting! I am more important than what you're doing!" George said through gritted teeth.

"Well, write it down, because I'm busy."

"I don't care! I am a customer here who is complaining! You're supposed to listen to me!" George shouted, slamming his fist down on the counter.

Xander sighed and turned to look at the girls, nodding for them to leave.

"Listen, I have a business to run."

"I don't care! You put the wrong combination of things on my tart and the crust was miserable!"

"I did everything you asked me to do! Your order was ludicrous, and it didn't make sense! Half of the sentences were just one long word, for goodness' sake! You're lucky I took the time to decipher and put together that order! You paid for what you wanted, now leave or sit down and wait until I'm done!"

Nick, Vida, Madison, and George were taken back by Xander's sudden eruption of anger.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm leaving. You're a horrible baker and an even horribler person, what with your screaming at loyal customers…"

"What…did you say?" Xander's eye began to twitch.

"I said that you're a horrible baker and how you ever got such a good reputation is beyond me." Within moments, George was seen flying out the doors of the Viner Street Bakery via a pair of vines that acted like a slingshot.

"AND STAY OUT!" Xander shouted.

"Wow, nice shot." Chip commented as he descended in front of the doors. "I think he went flying a good hundred feet or so…"

"You think?" Xander asked, impressed and relieved.

"Xander, that was a bit too much…" Madison replied as she walked up behind Xander.

"Get to work!" Xander snapped as he walked back inside. Several people down the block slunk back into their stores as Chip walked in and peacefully closed the doors behind him.

Chip sat down where Nick had been, and moments later, Madison ran out carrying two bowls of lumpy off-white mush with a spoon stuck in it. She sat across from Chip and slid a bowl over to him.

Chip stared at the contents of the bowl, poking it with a spoon. "May I ask what this is?"

"It's a recipe I found in my mother's cookbook…it's called 'tapioca pudding'. Give it a try, would you?"

"Well, I guess it wouldn't kill me to try…" He took a small spoonful and slowly ushered it into his mouth, fearing the result. His expectations were leapt over when he was pleasantly surprised by the tapioca's smooth and creamy texture and taste.

"Wow, not bad."

"I was thinking of putting this in some pastry…maybe a puff pastry…"

"Give it a try…mmm. This could use some cinnamon…"

"How much?"

"Just a sprinkle…"

A growl erupted from the back room as Vida stamped out and tossed her hat. "I'm going out for break!"

"Vida! Vida, get back here!" Xander shouted as he followed her out.

"Xander, calm down…" Nick said as he followed Xander. Xander lunged at Vida, but Nick grabbed him by the arms.

"Xander, Xander, you need to chill out." Nick said as he wrestled Xander down to the floor. Xander was surprised that Nick, for his size, was much stronger than him.

"Xander, what the hell is up with you today? Ever since we went to your house, you've been a raving lunatic!"

"You want to know why I'm upset?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, it's none of your business, but my room was broken into and my uncle's collection of crystals is gone."

Madison gasped. "How did they get in?"

"I don't know…I don't know…"

"That's horrible. Is there anything we can do?" Nick asked.

"I just…I think I just need a break…" Xander said, getting up slowly and dusting off his pants. "Maddie, could you hold down the fort while I was gone?"

"Sure." Maddie replied with a smile. Xander sat his hat in her lap and walked out.

As Xander walked out, he noticed a bouquet of flowers growing from the edge of the forest that had never been there before. "Strange…" As he walked towards them, he realized that the bouquet extended farther into the forest, cutting a pathway into it. "Curious…" Xander said as he followed the trail.

Vida had begun her trip to go home for lunch, but she decided against it and decided to wander around a bit. She walked down Mysteria Lane, infamous for its bookshops containing dark magic books and its house inhabitants seemed to be a bit off their hinges.

As she wandered, she saw a light blue blanket begin to fly off in the wind. She quickly pulled out her wand and summoned a light counter-breeze to swirl the blanket downwards where she could grab it. "I wonder where this came from…"

"My blankie!" Esin shouted.

"Oh, this's yours, hun?" Vida asked in a soothing tone. "Here ya go." As Esin stopped in front of her, Vida handed her the blanket.

"Thank you so much, Wind Magician!" Esin replied. "Here, take this!" She dug into her pocket and retrieved a thick black leather braid with pink feathers in it. In its center sat a light pink crystal that had been carved to resemble a tornado.

"What is this?"

"It's a Wind Anklet, for your left ankle. For every Pink Magician who's ever worn it, a pink feather has been added. I added mine a while ago, and for helping me, I'd like you to have it. One day, you'll have a pink feather to add to it."

"Um, thanks."

"When you see him again, could you tell Charlie I said hello and welcome back?"

"Sure. What's you're name?"

"Esin. I'm guessing that your name is Vida, the new Wind Magician in town."

"That I am."

"Would you mind spending some time with me? My friends went off into the forest without me again."

"Aw, how mean. Of course I will!"

Meanwhile, Xander found himself deep in the forest, following the strange trail of flowers. He saw that they stopped at the edge of a clearing, which made Xander anxious to get there. As he got to the edge, he saw Oliver meditating in the center.

"Oliver!" He shouted, breaking Oliver's concentration. Oliver stood up and turned around.

"Hello, Xander. What brings you here?"

"I was just following those flowers…"

"I see you've found my beauties…" Oliver smiled. "I made them myself."

"You did?" Xander said, turning back around to stare at the flowers. They changed colors in the sunlight, something he hadn't noticed before in the gloomy forest.

"They're my gift to Briarwood. Do you like them?"

"They're so…shiny."

"I'm glad you like them. I must admit that I wanted you to see them, but not so soon in the day…" The light reflected a green light from his hands, which caught Xander's eye.

"What's in your hand?" Oliver opened his hands, revealing nearly a dozen shards of green crystals. Xander gasped as he was overcome with rage.

"I know that you think I'm a thief, but it is you who stole from me."

"Those crystals…you broke into my room! You stole my uncle's meditation crystals!"

"These crystals…? They used to belong to me." Oliver said. He pooled all of the crystals in his hands into his left hand, then reached into his right pocket. He pulled a few crystals out of his pocket that were quite similar to the crystals in his hand. "My crystal shattered years ago…I've been looking for the pieces…but I'll give them back to you anyways. I just wanted to leave Briarwood knowing that the pieces would all find each other again, just like you and your friends as Magicians riding under Udonna's flag…" Oliver smiled. "I have hope for the world with you and your friends here. So I'll give you this crystal and a going away present."

"Where are you going, Oliver?"

"I'm not sure when I'm going, but I know I may never see you or Briarwood again…that's why I wanted to give you this." He cupped his hands together and closed his eyes in concentration. "Goolu Gonga."

A green light shined from his hands, and as he opened his hands, the light dissipated and all that remained was a single green crystal shaped like an opened rose. The rose then glowed brightly and the light shot towards Xander's left arm, enveloping the majority of his lower arm. As the light dimmed, all that remained was a green thorn bracer shaped to mimic a bull's head, with the green crystal flower sitting in the middle.

Xander stared at it for a moment, unsure what to make of it.

"I hope you understand that I didn't mean to make you upset by stealing back the crystals."

"This…this is a nice gift…"

"I'm glad you like it."

Xander started to speak, but was quickly cut off by an explosion in farther north of his position. Oliver turned around.

"Oh no…" Oliver muttered.

"What's wrong…?"

Even the insanely busy lunchtime-ridden Viner Street Bakery screeched to a halt as the explosion in the forest went off. Chip panicked and quickly called Clare, who was panic-ridden and hysterical.

"Clare, calm down…what's wrong?"

"That wasn't from Rootcore…that was farther north…up in the mountains…oh Magiel…" Clare began to cry.

"I'll go see if everything's okay, alright, Clare?" Chip asked.

"Charlie, don't go alone! Please!" She screamed.

"Well, I'm here with Nick and Madison…we'll call Xander and Vida."

"What's going on?" Madison asked as Chip dug into one of the bags and pulled out his cloak.

"Alright everybody, this is a state of minor emergency!" Nick started evacuating the store. "Go home and check on whoever might be there, or go to your shops, or wherever. But in light of the current situation, this store is closing, so I ask for all of you to leave in an orderly fashion!" Nick's policing manner confused the Briarwood denizens in the store, but they left nonetheless.

"Clare's worried about Udonna…" Chip said softly.

"You think that…maybe that was her?"

"Well, whatever it was, it wasn't good." Chip said, grabbing his broom.

"Oh, we're using…brooms?" Madison said.

"We don't have to…well, if Vida and Xander aren't using them, then we'd completely outrun them…" Chip set his broom down. "Fine, we'll run."

"Good idea." Madison replied, swallowing the lump in her throat that had formed merely contemplating a broom ride.

Nick started to send calls out to Vida and Xander as they ran out the door. Madison remembered to hang the 'Closed' sign on the door as they ran out to the forest.

As they reached the edge of the forest, the sky turned black.

"Oh, not good…" Chip commented.

"Is anybody else feeling cold right now?" Nick asked as he zipped his riding jacket up.

Chip gave him a puzzled look. "You too?"

"We should try to make some light as signals to Xander and Vida, wherever they are." Madison commented.

"Good idea. Luma Pyra!" Nick said, making a magical red flame dance off the edge of his wand like a torch.

"Luma Hydrae!" Madison said, making her breath and the air around her shine in a blue hue.

"Luma Lumiere!" Chip's wand shined brightly with electric energy.

"Alright, let's get going!" Nick said. The three of them then ran towards the mountains.

As the trio ran, Udonna and Wolzard were flung back by the huge explosion that erupted after Udonna's ice wall met Wolzard's Dark Wolf Strike. Wolzard was the first to recover from the blow, as he had still taken fewer shots than Udonna had.

"You were lucky, White Magician." Wolzard said as he straightened his left wolf's head epaulet. "I would expect only the best of magic from a Magician of your training. You impress me very much…but you aren't enough."

"How dare you insult me!" Udonna said, nearly leaping to her feet. She calmed her rage quickly though; courage came not from foolishness, and neither would magic.

"Your anger flows back and forth…how dangerous you would be as a Black Magician…"

"I would never use my magic to harm the pure-hearted and righteous like a Black Magician! I fight for justice and for those who cannot fight for themselves!"

"You should retire then." And with a muttered _Zazzado_, Wolzard knocked Udonna to the ground once more.

Chip found himself running away from the group until he stopped in front of a pack of Hideacs.

"Oh good Saints! I don't have time for any of you!" Chip shouted. "Lumera Sparus!" A bolt of lightning shot from his wand and pierced through several Hideacs and narrowly missing a smaller target, who turned out to be Taliesin.

"Charlie!" Taliesin called out. A Hideac jumped out in front of him, but with a simple _Lujuna_ aimed in the Hideac's direction, the Hideac was struck with a flash of light that sent it flying backwards. Taliesin looked around, and since they were alone he ran up to Chip.

"Charlie! In my rushing, I forgot to give you an initiation gift into the Yellow Magician Clan, so to speak." He reached into his cloak and pulled out a yellow glass bracer, lined in soft leather that seemed to be designed for archers. In the center sat a bright yellow crystal that was shaped like a lightning bolt. Chip put the bracer on his right arm and admired it for a while.

"Thunder Magicians are natural archers, and legend has it that this brace brings good luck to archers. You look like you have a sharp eagle eye, so you should have it!"

"Is that why you're out here? Did you know I was going to be out here…?"

Taliesin pointed to his nose. "Now that I've finally given that to you, I should leave! Clarin needs me, so good luck!"

"You too." And with that, Taliesin took off, and Chip continued his run.

Madison found herself following the river and away from Nick. She soon entered a clearing that was eerily familiar, and realized that it was the campsite she had been at with Chip. She weakly smiled and sat down, taking a breather. Chip was so hard to keep up with, that speedy devil.

She began to wonder a bit about his behavior by the riverside; if he remembered attacking her, then did he remember being ever so cheeky and ever so…Xander-ish towards her? Was that really him, or an illusion? He seemed completely intoxicated during the whole ordeal…perhaps that was the reason why he felt like apologizing…

Madison sighed and rubbed her covered-up wound a bit, wondering if what she had seen was real at all. The Chip she found here…however erratic or insane he seemed…there was a spark of authenticity to it…was he really faking any of it?

"He's a mystery, isn't he?" A voice broke the silence, making Madison jump from her seat.

"Who's there?" Madison asked. She walked over to the river where she found Conway standing alone, staring into the rippling waves.

"I know I haven't been properly introduced to you by Xander…my name is Conway."

"Conway…that's a nice name."

"It's nice to meet a fellow Blue Magician in my favorite meditation spot. I knew you were coming, so I looked into your thoughts to make conversation."

"You can do that?"

"You can too…with enough practice."

"…Oh."

"So…you seem to think that this Yellow Magician is playing you like a harp, huh?"

"In a way."

"Isn't it like us Blue Magicians to always be used…?"

"Not really. Not me, at least."

"You know a Blue Magician who has though, yes?"

"Come to think of it…he has been used a lot before…" George came to mind, as he constantly antagonized Xander to make things that were insanely difficult.

"See what I mean…?" Conway mildly chuckled. "We are cherished for our ever-lasting patience and morale. People look to us to be voices of peace and mercy, and to be ever-sacrificial. But we, like water, take many forms. We are not always physically large, but we are always have wide-open seas for hearts. We are always a beacon of hope when the world seems lost. We are the emotional pillars that people clamor to when they have nothing but pain and misery around them. We are never center stage, but without us, nobody would be courageous enough to be on center stage."

"Those're pretty poetic words…"

"Madison, I've watched you from as far back as I can remember, and I always knew you would be a wonderful Blue Magician. You're warm, kind, sacrificing, and compassionate; all traits one would expect from a wonderful Blue Magician. I hope you live up to my expectations once I'm gone."

"Where…where are you going? I just met you…I'd like to see you again…you seem like a nice young man…very intelligent…" Madison tried to say things that would make him stay.

Conway kneeled down at the edge of the river, and his cheery tone changed to a dark one. "The skies are dark now…but they will be darker. This darkness…it wishes to consume us all…and I am but weak against it. I can't stay for much longer…" He sighed, then looked up at her. "There will be much suffering and pain, but I know you will be the Blue Magician I know you are. You won't escape the jaws of despair either, but you will get through it through your friends, and you will all make a warm fire out of a cold home as the days go by. You will teach others compassion and caring, and your light will shine beyond your own friends in time."

"Why are you telling me this…?"

Conway stared deeply into the water, quickly diving his hand into the water and grabbing a blue-scaled fish. "May I have a scale?" He asked it, running his hand softly over the fish's right side. A scale gently slid off, which Conway thanked him for before tossing him back into the river. He then reached underneath his right pant leg and removed an anklet that resembled a dark blue seaweed.

"I told you this so that you would remember it whenever you felt unimportant or weak." He slid the scale deep into the anklet, then offered it up to Madison. "Here, take it as a gift to reward you for listening to me ramble on. Blue Magicians are said to have troubles with their right ankles, so the first Blue Magician to own this stuck a blue fish scale in it for protection, and each Blue Magician since has done so." Madison couldn't count how many scales were on it now. "This pretty gem in the center was put there to focus positive energies around the ankle." He showed off the light blue crystal in the center, which was shaped like a teardrop. "It's shaped that way because supposedly darkness will never try to pass a barrier of tears, because even darkness knows when it has already made its mark." Madison found the statement morbid, but still a good point. "Here, I'll tie it on your ankle properly too, if you want it."

"Sure." Conway smiled and bent down to tie the anklet to her right ankle.

"I'm guessing you've stopped having shoulder and neck pains since you became a Blue Magician. Well, now you'll be having lots of mis-steps." Conway joked.

"I should be-"

"I know. Looking for Udonna. But trust me…it's going to get a lot less safe soon, and you'll need all the luck you can get."

"How'd you…nevermind."

"Look who knows everything now…" Conway said with a smile. As he finished, he stood up and brushed himself off. "Well, now that I've passed my anklet on, I should go back to see Clarin and the others…we all should have a nice warm dinner and I'll need to calm everybody down…again. Take care."

"You too, Conway. Watch out for monsters."

"You know I will, and I know I will. You should be more worried about yourself, if you're heading towards the mountains."

"Why, what's there?"

Conway wordlessly replied by tapping the tip of his nose before he turned around and left.

Nick found himself alone and isolated from the group, but he didn't feel alone. Something was nearby, and it was warming the area up, like a cozy fire. He walked forwards cautiously, and the wind gently tossed the flames his wand about, making the shadows around him warp and dance along with the flames. He saw a figure up ahead with a flame of their own.

"Ah, Nicholas!" A cheery voice called out, the very same voice that Bridget had. "I've been waiting for you!"

"You…you have?"

"I knew you'd be courageous enough to come out here to see what the explosion was." Bridget laughed as she walked closer to Nick.

"Well, if you'd like to help me, we should get moving."

"Ah, on the contrary. You aren't ready to go out there." Bridget replied.

"And what makes you think that?" Nick asked

"You may be a good detective, but you still are not good enough to be a proper Red Magician. You have courage, but it is mixed with foolish pride. You have to cast off your pride. What you've accomplished only got you this far. It will take you no further."

"Are you insulting me?" Nick replied. Bridget began to circle around him, making him nervous.

"Why are you upset? Are you afraid?"

"No, not really."

"There's no need to lie about your feelings. Courage and Fear are close friends, and it's never wise to keep them apart. You have to be fearful of things before you can be courageous enough to face them. Having nothing but fear or nothing but courage makes a warrior either too weak or too confident. Don't be afraid of being afraid." Bridget stopped in front of Nick and smiled. "I'm always afraid that something might happen to me, but I believe that I will succeed, and that is my courage. That is what gives me so much power."

"I see…" Nick replied. "So if I go in knowing that I might die, and fearing death, then still fighting anyways is courageous?"

"Courage doesn't take logic. It comes from within." Bridget poked Nick's chest, straight above the heart. "There is a fire inside you that burns…it is the flames of courage that every Red Magician has…"

"Why are you touching me?"

Bridget laughed. "You're funny."

"You're strange."

"You're very courageous…" Bridget began tracing her finger around Nick's body as she began to circle around him again. "You have his spirit…"

"Whose spirit…?"

"Your father's…"

"How would you know my father?"

"I know a lot of things…"

"You're scaring me…"

"The enemy knows lots of things too…many spells to kill you with in one hit. Are you afraid?"

"Yea, that's a little terrifying. Are you sure you're not working with them, because you're pretty creepy."

"You're funny, but you're also ready to go on." Nick went to walk forwards, but Bridget stopped him. "Before you go, I have to give you something as a momento because I'm pretty sure this is the last time we'll meet."

"Why? Are you guys moving out of Briarwood?"

"So to speak."

"When?"

"I don't know, but Conway says soon. Just…I want you to have this, because it is a very important gift." She reached around her neck and unhinged her necklace. She put it around his neck and began to speak softly. "Every Red Magician that has ever owned this has put a charm on it…it is my time to give it a charm and pass it on to you." She reached into her pocket and grabbed a small crystal that was colored and shaped to look like a flame, and she attached it to one of the two open places on the necklace. There were various other charms made from various materials on the necklace: a black horse carved from obsidian, a granite stone carved into a phoenix and painted red, a small sword made of steel, and now the flame crystal, just to name a few. "There has never been a Red Magician who hasn't managed to find something important to add to this necklace…the flame crystal is my good luck charm. I'm certain you'll find something to fill that last place in." Bridget smiled. "Now go. I've stopped you long enough. Just remember: Fear is your friend! Fear your enemies as much as you want to stop them! Good luck!" Bridget then left.

A few moments later, Vida, Xander, Madison, and Chip ran up behind Nick. "Hey! Look who we found!" Madison happily declared as she showcased Xander and Vida.

"Hey guys! You all got gifts too, eh?" Nick asked.

"Yeah…" The five of them all looked at each other and realized that they had all had gotten some sort of trinket.

"How come we all got something from the Marauders?" Xander asked.

"That's strange…" Madison replied.

"Oh! Chip, before I forget, Esin says hi and welcome back."

"…who?"

"She's one of the Marauders."

"How would she know I was here…or that I was ever gone? Is she old enough to remember me…?" Chip seemed confused.

"Well, if one Marauder saw you, then the others did too, pretty much." Nick replied back.

"Still…how would she know me…?" Chip seemed utterly confused. However, he wasn't able to think long, as a large explosion erupted and the ground shook heavily beneath their feet, sending them all falling to the ground. Chip looked upwards and caught an amazing sight. "Everybody! Look!"

To the north, both towering over the trees, stood Udonna and Wolzard, squaring off.

"Udonna!" Vida shouted.

"That's Wolzard with her!" Nick replied. He now realized why Bridget warned him to be afraid.

"Let's go!" Chip shouted, getting up.

"No!" Nick shouted, grabbing him by the ankle and dropping him to the ground. "What are we going to do, anyways? We'll just be getting in the way."

"We should get a better view, if anything." Vida said. "I wanna watch Udonna destroy this Madoushi!" Vida got up and ran towards the mountains.

"We can't let her go alone!" Madison shouted as she got up and followed Vida.

"The girls need somebody to look after them…I'll go!" Xander said, getting up and joining the girls.

"C'mon, Nick. We should go." Chip said.

"Fine." Nick let go of Chip's ankle, and they both got up.

"Jiruma Majuna!" Udonna shouted, sending large chunks of ice spiraling out towards Wolzard. Wolzard deflected all but two with his shield, and the two that struck his right side dived deep into his armor, sending a shower of black and white sparkling flashes of light down to the ground as Wolzard fell to one knee. Vida could be heard cheering.

"Ujira." Wolzard said, swing his sword ever so lightly. The ice chunks disappeared, and Wolzard seemed to be fine as he stood up. "That almost tickled, White Magician."

"I have much more where that came from!" Udonna cried out. "Jii Jiruma Majika Majuna!" She raised up her longsword, and it began to glow white. The group finally reached a clearing to watch the ultimate attack Udonna had summoned up.

Udonna swung, and at the last moment, Wolzard leaned backwards and to the left, dodging the attack in its entirety. Udonna panicked, and Wolzard took his opportunity and slammed the rounded end of his sword against her hands, knocking her longsword straight out of her grasp. It plummeted to the ground, nearly impaling Nick and scattering the others before shrinking down to its original size.

Wolzard then took her moment of stunned shock to quickly slice her, causing her armor to chip away into snowflakes. She spun around once, then gained her footing, screaming loudly.

"Udonna! Watch it!" Nick shouted.

"Dance for me, my dear White Magician…dance for your students and show them the proper waltz of death that they will all know soon…" Wolzard taunted in a soft voice. He tossed his shield down to the ground, and it shrunk down to size as well. He then tightly gripped his sword with both hands as Udonna began to catch her breath. "Uuza Ujira Zazzado!" He shouted as he swung at her. His blade connected at her right hip, and he crosscut her straight up to her left shoulder. She spun around again, her armor shooting snowflakes up into the sky as she began to glow a bright white until she hit the ground and faded to nothing, shrieking all the way until the end.

"Udonna!" Chip shouted. Madison gasped and covered her mouth. Vida stood staring wide-eyed in disbelief. Xander stared over at the wand, which had grown dormant, but all that Nick could do was stare up at Wolzard.

"Ugaro." Wolzard muttered. He then dropped back into his normal form, grabbed his shield, sheathed his sword, and began to walk towards the Magicians.

Snowflakes descended upon the open field where the Magicians stood, the snowflakes that had erupted from Udonna's armor were finally falling down to the ground. Chip walked over to Udonna's wand and fell to his knees. Madison walked over to his side and kneeled beside him. Vida decided upon being there for Chip as well; Udonna had been there for him for the rough times and she could only imagine how he felt. Xander sat down behind them and began to pat Chip on the back and muttering words of encouragement in his ear. Nick walked around to the opposite side of the wand-longsword that everybody else was on, staring deeply into the snowflake charm.

Chip, Vida, and Madison were crying in various degrees, and Xander looked flat out depressed as he stopped trying to calm them down. Xander looked back out toward the mountain ridge and caught sight of Wolzard. "Guys…look." Chip wiped his eyes quickly and stood up, knocking Vida and Madison over. The Rocca Sisters then got up and looked, while Nick slowly turned his head. Wolzard was on the other side of the field, coming towards them.

"You bloody coward!" Chip shouted as he transmuted his wand into his sword. He began to charge, but it was short-lived, as Vida grabbed his ankles while Madison wrapped her arms around his torso to prevent him from going any farther. "I'll tear you apart!" Chip had apparently snapped.

"Chip, fighting him won't make it any better!" Madison shouted.

"Udonna deserves revenge!" Chip shouted as he attempted to shake Vida and Madison off of him. Xander joined in and grabbed Chip's arms and pinned them to his sides, giving Madison time to fully pin them. Xander then pushed him to the ground and sat on top of his back, pinning him to the ground. "Let me up!"

"Calm down first! Fighting won't solve anything!" Nick said. Everybody turned their heads and stared at Nick as Wolzard came to a stop roughly twenty-five feet away.

"Words…I thought I would never hear a Red Magician say…" Wolzard said. "Red Magician…are you afraid to fight?"

"I'm afraid that we're not ready to fight you." Nick replied. "I fear that you are stronger than us."

"Nick…" Chip muttered, shocked to be hearing what he was hearing.

"You are particularly wise for a Red Magician…not many know when they are outmatched."

"That doesn't mean that I won't fight you, though." Nick replied. The other four stared at him as if he were insane. "I can't decide that I won't fight you just because I am afraid of you. Madoushi thrive on the weakness of others, but I won't let my fear make me weak. Chip is right; Udonna deserves retribution. You will have to fall. I won't let her memory fade away, and even though I know I will fail, he have to go. I will fight you." Nick took several steps forward, stopping ten feet away from where he started. Although it was not seen, Wolzard was smiling happily.

"Nick…" Vida muttered. She then stood up and walked towards Nick. "I'll fight too! I'm not afraid to lose my life to stop you! Udonna wasn't, and neither am I!" She stood to Nick's left and grinned wildly.

"I have nothing to lose anymore anyways…" Chip muttered as he suddenly bucked, knocking Madison and Xander off of him. "If I die, it won't matter. If this is our fate, then he must live it, even to the end." He walked and stopped beside Nick's right side, leaving a gap between him and Nick.

"If my sister goes, then I go!" Madison said, walking and standing in-between Nick and Chip. "If my sister is willing to die to destroy you, then it makes sense to me. She's never wrong when she makes bold choices like this."

Xander sighed and got up. "Well, if everybody else is gone, then I have no choice. I would rather die than be alone, so I'm willing to fight you, too." Xander said as he stood next to Vida.

Back at the Rootcore, the Xenotome began to glow, causing Clare to panic and set the book on the dais. The book flung itself open, firing off a wide beam of golden light that shot through the top of Rootcore, and flew out into the mountains. The light descended upon the Magician's wands, which the quintet curiously withdrew. Chip's sword was transmuted back into a wand that now bore a medium-sized yellow crystal that was in the shape of the garuda symbol from the Magic Circle. Xander's wand now donned a green crystal shaped like the minotaur, Vida's wand was now adorned with a pink fairy crystal, Madison's a blue mermaid, and Nick's a red phoenix.

Moments later, Clare's voice shot out from Chip's wand.

"Charlie? Charlie, are you okay?"

"We're okay. Are you?"

"The Xenotome…something's written in it now…something that wasn't there before…I don't know what it means…"

"Well, what's it say?" Madison asked.

Clare cleared her throat and began to read. "_'To Five Great Magicians, a power is bestowed. Five great crystals, to them, unlock powers untold. To gain armor and power, and skills, behold! Point the crystals to the sky and chant Maagi Magi Majiiro!'_ Do you guys know what that means?"

"I think I do…" Nick said, staring at the phoenix crystal on his wand. "Clare we'll be back soon, okay?"

"Is everybody okay?"

"We'll tell you everything later, okay?" Chip replied.

"How's Udonna?"

"We'll tell you later!" Chip snapped back as he closed out the connection. Nick then pointed his wand up towards the sky, with the tip of his crystal pointing to the dark clouds.

"I think this is what it means." Nick said. The others nodded and mimicked him. "Now, do you remember the spell?"

"Maagi Magi Majiiro, I think." Chip said.

"Then let's all say it at once. Ready?"

"Ready!" The quintet took a quick breath, then in their loudest voices shouted, "Maagi Magi Majiiro!"


	6. Our Overflowing Courage

Five golden Magic Circles shined from the ground beneath them, then dulled to each member's appropriate colors.

Xander's Magic Circle changed to green, and the minotaur symbol shifted to the top position. A ring of green light shaped like leaves shot out of the ground and bathed Xander in its light, changing what it touched into a green, skin-tight suit, complete with matching boots, gloves, and a cape attached to a one-piece pauldron that connected at a point midway down his chest. A green helmet then enveloped his head bearing the minotaur symbol, and the green energy leaves transformed his stick wand into one that resembled Udonna's before it was transfigured into a longsword, with the minotaur symbol taking the place of the snow symbol.

Xander stood tall and flexed his right bicep. "Strong as a Stone," He then struck his chest with his clenched right fist, letting it slightly bounce off. "Steady as a Tree!" He then unclenched his fist and turned his palm upwards, moving his right arm across his body in a manner suggesting an ownership of what was in front of him. "The Magician of the Earth!" He extended his left arm outwards, his palm facing left, and he bent over slightly, letting the open palm of his right hand hang a few inches above the ground. "Mystic Force Green!"

Vida's Magic Circle changed pink, and the Fairy symbol shifted to the top position of her circle. The outer circle emitted a pink ring of magical energy that began to roughly rush around like a swift wind, changing her clothes into a skin-tight pink mini dress and silvery tights, along with pink boots, gloves, and a one-piece pauldron and cape to match. She then received a pink helmet bearing the fairy symbol and her wand became like Xander's, with her fairy gem taking the place of his minotaur gem.

Vida began to do a twirl by first crossing her right foot in front of her left, and by bending her arms both to the left. "Troublesome as a Tornado!" With a push off of her right foot, she spun a full 360 degrees, letting her arms flail outwards. "The Magician of the Wind!" She then turned and let her right shoulder face forwards, then bent slightly backwards. Her right arm swung backwards slightly, her palm pointing towards the sky, and her left arm extended outwards and away from her body, her palm facing upwards. She then finished her pose by setting her right foot in front of her left. "Mystic Force Pink!"

Chip's Magic Circle changed to a lighter yellow, and the garuda symbol rotated to sit in front of him. The outer ring of the circle emitted a ring of yellow light that violently danced about, much like a bolt of lightning would do. As the ring traveled upwards, it transformed his clothes into a yellow suit that was similar to Xander's, down to the gloves, boots, pauldron and cape. He gained a yellow helmet bearing the garuda symbol, and his wand changed the same way that Vida's and Xander's did.

Chip's first movements after fully transforming involved him swinging his right arm as he would a sword, slashing downwards diagonally, back and forth, imitating the drawn shape of a thunderbolt. "Quickly Striking Like Lightning!" He then calmly bent his right arm and let his left arm cross his body, setting his right elbow on top of his slightly curled up left hand, giving off an air of security and sureness. "The Magician of Thunder!" He timed a snap just as he said 'thunder', then suddenly shot his right arm upwards and reached up towards the sky with a widely stretched hand. He then pushed his left side back as he balled his left hand up into a fist and pulled the arm back so that his elbow was parallel with his hip. He bent his knees slightly, as if preparing to charge. "Mystic Force Yellow!"

Madison's Magic Circle changed to a light blue, and the mermaid symbol shifted to the top of the circle. The outer ring of the circle emitted a ring of sky blue light that seemed to fluidly travel upwards, transforming Madison's clothes into a sky blue version of Vida's outfit. Her light blue helmet displayed the mermaid symbol, and her wand turned black like the others' wands had.

Madison reached forwards with her left hand and extended her right arm as far right as it would go. "Pure as rain!" She then brought both arms in front of her, crossed, with palms facing downwards. She then slowly let her arms raise upwards, palms up, keeping her elbows parallel to her waist, all while pointing her right foot and moving it in a small arc until her heels were perpendicular. "The Magician of Water!" She then thrust her right arm upwards, palm facing left, then swung her left arm in front of her, positioning it as if she were cradling a newborn in it. "Mystic Force Blue!"

Nick's Magic Circle was the last to react, changing to a fire engine red shade before emitting a ring of light that swayed and discharged like an actual fire. His suit was similar in design to Xander's and Chip's, but only in the same shade of red as the Magic Ring below him. His helmet bore the same symbol of the phoenix that, in gem form, sat atop his transformed wand.

Nick took an at-attention stance, placing his right hand over his heart. He then forcefully thrust his arm back, then slowly brought it back up until it was pointing straight forward, with his palm facing down. "Like a Burning Inferno!" He turned his wrist upwards and snapped, then crossed his arms in front of him at the elbows as he spread his legs to where his ankles were parallel with his shoulders. He then moved his arms upwards in a wide arc like a bird spreading its wings. "The Magician of Fire!" He then finished by twisting his torso a bit to the left and bent his left knee a bit, stretching his left arm forwards and extending his right arm as far right as it would go and extending both hands out widely. "Mystic Force Red!"

"Our endless courage becomes magic! We are the Mystic Force!"

After standing in their poses for a moment longer, the quintet then dropped the poses and looked down at their new uniforms in awe, checking out their gloves and capes, as well as their wands.

"Amazing!" Chip said. "This must be ancient magic…"

"Ancient magic?" Vida asked.

"Indeed."

"Then maybe…maybe there are no coincidences amongst all of this…" Madison said as she looked at everybody else in the group. Nick then stepped forward, facing Wolzard.

"I guess then it's no mistake that we have to fight you, then." Nick said.

"You are wrong, Red Magician. None of you are worthy of fighting me."

"But you said that once we were all united once more, that you would fight us!"

"No, Red Magician…I said I would fight you…" Chip, Madison, Vida, and Xander all looked at Nick.

"So we'll fight now and get it over with!"

Wolzard laughed. "I'd rather let you live tonight and kill you in the morning. It would be a fairer fight that way…but for now, I shall leave you with some of my associates…" He pulled his sword from his sheath. "Douza Zazare!" A Dark Magic Circle opened up underneath Udonna's wand, which caused Nick to panic. "Guys! The wand!" Wolzard smiled as he watched the Magicians frantically go back to protect Udonna's wand. "They shall be stronger, and I will be waiting. Tomorrow means nothing but more power for the taking…Uuza Ujira." He then slipped back into the Hellpit through the Dark Magic Circle in the ground he created.

Nearly a dozen Hideacs began to rise from the surface as the Mystic Force magicians began to form a human shield around Udonna's wand.

"We can't let Udonna's wand be taken!" Nick shouted.

"Right!" The other four replied.

"Alright, everybody prepare yourselves!" Chip shouted, grabbing his wand. He tried to transmute it into a sword, but it didn't work. "…huh?"

A voice suddenly chirped into their helmets. "Guys! Guys! It happened again!" Clare shouted.

"Clare, not so loud!" Chip shouted back as he grabbed his head.

"Oh, sorry!"

"It's okay, just hurry."

"Um, well, two more spells showed up. No sing-song or anything, just straight up spells and how to use them."

"What are they?" Vida asked.

"For tools against the demons, speak 'Jii Jijiru'. To focus your elements against them, speak 'Jii Majika'."

"Oh good! Attacking spells." Chip replied. "We'll be back soon."

"Okay, see you soon!" Clare replied happily.

"Okay…" Chip replied. He then stared at his wand. "Let's see what these spells can do! Jii Majika!" Chip held his wand up to the sky just as the Hideacs fully emerged from the Dark Magic Circle. The Garuda charm glowed yellow, and thunder erupted from the sky and smashed into two of the Hideacs, sending them flying backwards.

"Jii Jijiru!" Madison said, pointing her wand upwards. The Mermaid crystal glowed and the wand transformed into a trident. "Oh wow! Guys, look!" She said, holding up her trident.

"Whoa!" Vida, Xander, and Nick replied. Chip fired off another thunderbolt to drive off the Hideacs.

"Hey, any help from you four would be appreciated." Chip snapped.

"Okay, Jii Jijiru!" They replied, transforming their wands into different weapons. Vida's wand became an enlarged version of her staff, Xander's transformed into an axe, and Nick's transformed into a sword.

"Alright, everybody. This is it. No one gets inside our circle!" Nick shouted.

"No one gets inside!" Vida replied in a fierce tone.

"No one gets inside!" Xander replied, gripping his axe tightly and digging his feet into the ground.

"No one gets inside!" Chip shouted, taking an aggressive stance.

"No one gets inside!" Madison replied as she hid behind her trident.

The Hideacs let out a quick screech before charging. Chip knocked down a few of them with a thunderbolt, Vida summoned a small gust of wind using 'Jii Majika', Xander cleaved through two of the Hideacs, and Nick struggled to hold his pair back with a weapon he wasn't familiar with. Madison tried to defend herself, but was quickly knocked over by a Hideac.

"Help!" Madison screamed as she tried to push the Hideac off with her trident. Chip turned around, grabbed the Hideac by the throat, and tossed it aside.

"Get up!" Chip snapped at her as he roughly pulled her off the ground.

Vida turned around and caught him. "Hey, you asshole! Don't touch my sister like that!"

"Asshole? Asshole? Who are you to call anybody an asshole, you wench?" Chip replied.

"Hey you two!" Xander shouted. "You should be fighting the enemy, not each other!"

Both huffed and turned away to one again battle the Hideacs. Xander panicked when his pair of Hideacs stood back up, ready for more.

"Oh, not done yet, eh? Fine! Jii Majika!" He shouted, dropping to one knee as he slammed the tips of his axe's blades into the ground, causing the ground the split and erupt in a flurry of thorned vines. The Hideacs were quickly torn to shreds. "Ha!" Xander said, crossing his arms.

"Jii Majika!" Madison said, pointing her trident's points outwards. Three strong jetstreams of water shot out of her trident's points, tearing through a pair of Hideacs like a warm knife through butter.

"Ugh!" Nick was quickly dropped to his knees with a crushing blow to his helmet. He had never held a sword before, and he was completely overwhelmed. "Fine…" Nick said as he got himself to his feet. "Jii Majika!" A burst of flame erupted from his sword, setting the two Hideacs on fire.

"I'll finish them!" Chip shouted. "Jii Majika!" A quick shot of lightning quickly reduced the Hideacs to dust. They looked around to find that no Hideacs were around.

"Woohoo!" Madison said, jumping into the air in celebration.

"Alright!" Vida said, slamming the bottom of her staff against the ground.

"We were great!" Xander said.

"We were amazing!" Nick replied.

"Checkmate!" Chip shouted, snapping his fingers. Madison looking over at him.

"…Checkmate?" She asked.

"Checkmate. In chess, it's when your enemy loses. We won, they lost. Checkmate."

"I knew that…it was just…random."

"Well, why'd you say it?" Xander asked.

"Well, whenever my sister and I survived a battle, that's what we'd say…it's just a force of habit now…" Chip looked down.

"Well, we'll say it too!" Madison replied. "I like it!" She snapped her fingers. "Checkmate!"

Xander, Vida, and Nick then snapped and shouted, "Checkate!" in unison. Chip blushed, and as he turned around, he found himself staring at Udonna's wand. A cold silence fell over them as the last of the snowflakes from Udonna's armor fell around them.

The group stood for nearly five minutes, arms down at their sides, all trying their hardest not to cry.

"What are we going to do with Clare…?" Vida asked.

"You guys go to Xander's house. I'll bring the wand to her by myself. She's Clare's caretaker and my godmother…we need our moment alone." Chip replied in a deep and weakened tone.

"Nobody should ever suffer alone." Madison replied as she backed up in front of the wand.

"Nobody should ever be alone ever, especially when something horrible like this has happened." Xander added as he walked over to the wand's side.

"Pain and misery breeds a cold soul…it is the first step to dark magic. Suffering with others lessens the pain." Vida replied, walking over to the wand.

"We're a team now, aren't we? In my squad, if an officer is down, everybody else in the team comes and backs him up. That's what we do here, too." Xander, Vida, and Madison nodded in approval.

"Well, alright. It would be a bit hard to hug her and hold the wand at the same time…" Chip looked up. "I guess we'll all go…"

Chip grabbed the top of the wand and the rest of the group helped him carry it back to Rootcore.

Clare sighed happily as she awaited the return of the Magicians. She sensed magic nearby and happily cheered. "Oh!" She grabbed her wand and hid it up her sleeve just as a precaution before getting up. She waited for the Rootcore doorway to reveal the approaching magic, which it did. She smiled as she saw the five Magicians walk in in their Mystic Force uniforms.

"Wow! Those're amazing outfits, guys!" She said joyfully. She then noticed to Snow Staff. "Where's…Udonna…?" She looked at them, but their helmets hid their misery. "Guys…?" The Magicians' armor fell apart into magic particles, finally revealing their grim expressions as they reached Clare. "Oh no…" Clare said as she started to realize the situation. "No, please…" She began to tear up, and Chip and Nick decided to get her sitting down, and they abandoned the Snow Staff to help her down in her chair at the dais.

"I understand…" She mumbled. "I understand why she was so explaining…why she told me everything…" She grabbed a rag out of her pocket and blew her nose.

"Calm down, Clare. Try to breathe…it'll help." Nick said. He hadn't had much training in tragedy recovery for domestic incidents, so he was stumbling to think of what to say. Madison, Vida, and Xander sat the wand down next to the dais, then they stood behind Nick and Chip for moral support.

"Clare, we're so sorry…there was nothing we could do…we got there too late to help her…" Chip replied in the same time he had used before, a defeated tone.

"Wolzard is a coward; he ran from the fight…" Nick said angrily.

"Wolzard…? Why would she fight him…? She was just committing suicide…nobody has ever fought Wolzard and lived…" Clare started hyperventilating again. "Why would she dare to fight him…?"

"She was a good fighter, Clare. She put some damage into him. It's just that it wasn't enough…" Chip replied.

"It's not fair! I'm not ready!" Clare shouted, pounding her fists into her thighs. "I can't lead! I can't fight! I can't-"

Chip grabbed Clare's right arm. "Clare, you're a great Magician. I've seen you in action before, before I was captured, when we were all together. Even then, you were better than me, so don't ever say you're horrible." He then gently lied her arm in her lap.

"And you'll be fine. You have us, remember? We'll help you with whatever you need." Nick assured her as he grabbed her left hand.

Clare sniffled as she wiped her eyes. "Thanks…" She smiled weakly. "If…if you don't mind…I'd like some time alone with Charlie."

"Sure." Nick said. Chip gave a confused look, but he helped Clare up to her feet and walked her up to her room.

The rest of the day was spent in silence, the group pondering their fate. Clare fell asleep crying in her bed, Chip by her side. Xander retreated to a stack of spellbooks which he mindlessly read, while Madison furiously began making what was supposed to be dinner. Vida reminded her, however, that a cauldron was no place to be cooking any meal in, to which Madison suddenly stopped and walked upstairs, not to come back down. Nick found solace in sitting by the fireplace, staring into the fire. After a while, he started to see an outline of something, which made him curious. He leaned in closer, and the fire suddenly formed the outline of Wolzard's helmet. _Red Magician, your time is coming…_ Wolzard's voice rang through Nick's head, causing him to jolt back and scream.

Vida jumped. "Are you okay, Nick?"

"I heard…his voice…in my head…and he was in the fire…" Nick tried to collect himself as he explained.

"Who?" Xander said, breaking his attention away from the books.

"Wolzard…" Nick said, pulling himself up to the couch.

"What did he say?" Vida asked.

"My time…is coming…"

Xander and Vida stared at him in shock.

"Nick…" Vida stopped herself from continuing. She had always been superstitious, and to try and speak of her fears made her nervous.

"Maybe you should go to bed, Nick. You're probably seeing and hearing things because you're tired. Besides, you've staring at that fire for hours. Staring at anything that long will make you see things, regardless of how tired you are."

"I guess…" Nick replied. He slowly got up and walked up to his bed. He locked the door behind him, and then slowly got undressed before sliding into bed. "Maybe I'm cracking under the weight of it all…" Nick muttered before he fell asleep.

_Nick looked up at the ceiling, staring at the mobile above him, decorated in various symbols he didn't recognize. He moved about, knocking off his blanket._

"_Do I hear a little somebody moving about?" A voice cooed from afar. A head then poked over the top, a fair-skinned woman with soft greenish-grey eyes and long curly brown hair. "Hello there, my little sweetie! How is my strong little man?" The woman reached out and picked Nick up. "Oh, you feel all clammy! Is my little man all hot…?"_

_Nick vocalized a bit, and the woman kindly smiled. "Aw, you miss Daddy, don't you? Mommy misses him too…" The woman sighed. Nick started playing around with a ruffle on the woman's collar._

"_Daddy will be home soon, and we'll all have dinner…Daddy, and Mommy and little baby!" The woman poked Nick's stomach, making him giggle. _

_The room was unusually warm and inviting, despite it being painted entirely white. Nick could only figure that it was a room, and a home, filled with love._

"_Oh, you're so strong…I know one day you'll be just like Daddy…you'll be strong and powerful, and you'll protect everybody from the evils of the world…no matter what happens." The woman kissed Nick on the cheek and smiled. A knock came to the door to the woman's left, and she happily walked towards it. "I wonder who that is?" She cooed happily. She opened the door, and behind it, the world was black. Behind the door was Wolzard, baring his sword. Nick looked back to find that it was only the two of them._

"_Red Magician…your time is drawing to a close…" Wolzard taunted as he swung the sword at Nick…_

Nick screamed as he jolted awake.

_Red Magician…_Wolzard's voice cried out again, taunting him.

"Get out of my head! Get out of my head!" Nick screamed as he kicked his covers off and clawed at his temples. He heard somebody trying to open his door. "Go away!" He shouted. He waited a few moments until he heard a door close before getting up. "I need…I need to get out of here…" Nick transmuted his robe back into his civilian clothes, then got dressed. He then quickly ran downstairs and walked down to where his bike-broom was being stored, revved it up, and quickly flew out into the night-cloaked forest.


	7. Interlude: Guardando nel Buio

Nick sighed in relief as Wolzard's voice stopped rolling around his head. His thoughts then turned to his dream. Had the woman really been…his mother?

He could hardly remember what his sister had told him about her whenever he had asked, other than that she became sick and grew too tired to stand and take care of them, and that she slowly faded to nothing. Naturally, he had taken this to mean that she died of a terminal illness, but he had never bothered to ask what kind. He had promised to only ask if it became a matter of his own life, which it never had before. He hadn't seen his sister in years, and he felt a tiny part of him tug at him to go home, but he knew his job was more important in Briarwood.

Nevertheless, the thing that baffled him at the moment was why he was suddenly dreaming of her. His only thought was his way of grieving with the others; to feel that need for a motherly figure like the rest of the group. A thought came to mind then: shouldn't they properly bury her? He decided to fly back to the mountains to retrieve her body.

Nick made it halfway there when all of a sudden, the air chilled around him, and the already dark sky seemed to grow darker. He looked down and spotted two large bolts of dark energy shaped like wolf's heads spiraling upwards at him, screeching a cacophonic string of howls as they drew closer.

Nick quickly maneuvered around the shots as two more approached him. "Oh, this's gonna be tough…" Nick continued dodging the shots as he forced himself downwards towards the target. He spotted Wolzard and quickly landed his bike-broom, making sure to not lose sight of him.

"There you are, Red Magician." Wolzard happily called out.

"Maaji Maji Majiiro!" Nick called out, transforming into his Red Mystic Armor.

"I knew that you would come to me…" Wolzard sneered.

"What do you want with me?" Nick shouted, pointing his wand at Wolzard.

"I wish to fight you now."

"One on one?" Nick asked, afraid of his ineptness of sword fighting.

"I know you're terrified…I can feel it…" Nick felt a chill run up his spine. "I'll spare you the pain of fighting me if you submit now."

Nick stared at Wolzard, and for a moment he contemplated giving up, but Udonna came to mind. If she knew it was hopeless and still fought, why shouldn't he? His body warmed at the very thought of challenging Wolzard, and it was the best feeling he had felt all day.

"Let's go." Nick said. "Jii Jijiru! MagiStaff Sword!" He called out, changing his wand into a sword.

"You are filled with nothing but blind faith…I'll be sure to drive it out of you." Wolzard unsheathed his sword.

Vankyuria had followed Nick's scent all the way from Rootcore, and was intent on finding out what a lone Magician was doing out in the middle of the night. She stopped and perched on top of a tree branch as soon as she found Wolzard and Nick.

"This should be interesting…two leaders crushed in less than 24 hours…" She mused. "This should be a good fight…" She sat down and plucked a handful of hollyleaf cherries from the tree as a ringside snack. "Mmm, dinner and a show…" She chuckled as she began to nibble on one of the cherries.

Nick charged forwards, holding the sword upwards as he ran. "Jii Majika!" He swung the sword, flinging a crescent-shaped mini-wave of fire at Wolzard. Wolzard easily flung the shot to his side by swinging his sword. He countered with a quick Dark Fire Wolf Blast from his shield, grinning widely at Nick's lack of skill. Nick decided to imitate Wolzard by trying to deflect the blast to the side. Nick set his sword's blade aflame for extra effort, then set it away from his body for extra defense.

The first wolf's head collided with the sword, pressing his arms back forcefully, pressing his sword against his chest. The second wolf's head flew up and connected with Nick's helmet, sending him flying backwards and making fiery sparks fly everywhere. Nick fell on the ground on his stomach and bounced a bit, staying down for the moment.

"I'm disappointed." Wolzard said. "You're not trying to fight…you're a Red Magician…and you're weak…you have it within you…show me it!"

Nick collected himself, dropping his sword as he stood up. "Is…that why you drew me out? To see me fight? I'll show you how I fight, how I really fight!" Nick clenched his fists and charged at Wolzard.

Wolzard fired off a Wolf Blast towards Nick, and this time Nick dodged them by running around them last second. Wolzard panicked as Nick got within kicking distance, and he drew his shield to block him. Nick growled as he pulled back and unleashed a flurry of punches against Wolzard's shield that caught him off guard. Sparks of dark magic flew off Wolzard's shield on contact, and the only shot that was countered was the last blow in the long chain, where Wolzard slammed the pointed hilt of his sword into Nick's stomach, making him stumble back a bit as a few fiery sparks fell down and fizzled.

Nick recovered quickly, seemingly unfazed by the jab to the gut, and returned the favor by unleashing a roundhouse kick to Wolzard's sword, knocking it out of his hand.

"How did you…?" Wolzard muttered, holding up his shield and blocking another roundhouse kick. "Douza Zazare!" The Wolf Blasts, coupled with Nick's proximity to the shield, the blasts sent Nick flying farther back than he had gone before and slammed Nick through several trees before hitting the ground and forcing a de-transformation. Nick began coughing up blood, and his body was littered in cuts and bruises. He tried to get up, but her couldn't even get half of his body off the ground before collapsing and passed out.

"It is as I thought…that sudden burst of strength…yes, I feel it…" Wolzard said, as he picked up his sword and resheathed it. He then walked over and picked up Nick's sword. "Your blood in the ground would please my master…" Wolzard said as he gripped the sword and approached Nick. He flipped the blade around to plunge it into Nick's head and drove it down. Vankyuria looked away for a moment, and turned back as soon as she heard Wolzard walk away and summon his Dark Magic Circle. She gasped at the sight of the blade; it sat millimeters away from Nick's temple.

"Wolzard spared him…?" Vankyuria said in shock. "But…why…?" She grabbed another handful of cherries before departing back for Infershia.

After an hour or so, Wolzard found himself meditating when a voice broke his concentration.

"You let him go, Wolzard." The voice called out. "How unlike you to let an innocent live."

"This is war; nobody is innocent." Wolzard replied before taking a deep breath. "Besides, I can't fight what I've killed beforehand."

"He will defeat you in the end."

"I don't doubt that we will meet again when he is stronger…but even then, he will lose. As long as he remains in his craft, his true power will never be unleashed…it is the saddest thing I know…"

Dawn shown over Rootcore, waking Nick up slowly. He couldn't move at all, and he could hardly breathe. He moved his eyes over to his left and saw Clare sitting over him. He then realized that he was in the den on the side of the room opposite of the dais, which also housed the library and the fireplace. Clare jumped to see Nick awake.

"Guys, he's coming to!" She replied loudly, making Nick's headache worse.

"Keep it down…" Nick weakly muttered.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Clare blushed.

"Are you okay?" Madison asked as she approached.

"Of course he's not okay," Chip replied. "he's a wreck."

"Gee thanks, Chip." Nick replied sarcastically. He tried to sit up, but he was too stiff and sore to move.

"What happened to you?" Xander asked.

"I was flying…and Wolzard…ambushed me…"

"Wolzard fought you…and he didn't kill you?" Vida asked. "Are you sure it was Wolzard?"

"I'm sure…I know it was dark, but it was him, alright…"

"This is curious…" Clare said, getting up. "Very curious…"


	8. In The Stars

_Chip opened his eyes and saw a black-clouded sky; another typical morning in his world. He got up from his lounging spot in the grass and walked towards the trees in the east. The wind howled as he continued forwards, whipping the snowy forest's fluffy white powder around him as he entered._

_The snow fell heavily in the forest, and even though the wind died down, the snow still whipped about gracefully. He continued to walk out towards a clearing, being invited in by owls flying above him, hooting intensely. _

_He reached the edge of the clearing, and he studied the area. He first saw three impact-created ditches in front of him sitting in an almost perfect row; in them lay his mother, father, and sister, charred nearly beyond recognition and mildly buried underneath the snow. _

_A fourth ditch lied farther away, and Chip knew exactly what he'd find. He walked forwards and sighed deeply. As he got closer to the fourth ditch, his thoughts were confirmed; inside lay his own body, nearly charred beyond recognition. He hadn't seen how he looked after he had landed at the crash site, but the body in the ditch was the closest thing he could imagine himself looking like._

_His cloak was almost completely burned and torn off from impact, and most of his skin was as black as his cloak from the electrical burns. The only color besides his frizzled copper hair was the crimson gashes littering his face and torso. His left side was burned through and cauterized; the point of contact with the lightning had been burned away several layers deep._

_Chip stood over the ditch, staring. He didn't realize how much he had cheated death until now; he knew that Udonna had been concerned about his well-being, and he knew that he had lost the ability to do a lot of things for the next week and a half, but he hadn't realized how corpse-like he had been. _

_He kneeled at the edge of the ditch and sighed. The body in the ditch's eyes shot open and stared at Chip, causing Chip to panic._

"_Charlie…?" The corpse began to speak, making blood run from the huge gash through the left side of its face, which started at the left corner of his mouth and traveled in a diagonal manner halfway up its cheek._

"_Hm?"_

"_What…are you…doing here…?"_

"_I've been here."_

"_It's…been a month…you know. You don't…belong here."_

"_Huh?" Chip stood up, and the corpse's eyes followed. He was immensely confused._

"_You're not me…you need…to get away…from here…"_

"_No, I can't leave. What about them?" Chip asked, looking back at the other ditches._

"_We…don't need…attention…" The corpse laughed weakly. "There…are people…more important…than us…"_

"_More…important?"_

"_Charlie…" A soft voice called out, and a pair of delicate arms wrapped around him. One arm wrapped around his waist, stopping at his left side, and the other arm wrapped around his chest, and began pulling him backwards. Chip turned his head and saw a warm and familiar face staring at him as he fell backwards…_

"Maddie!"

THUD. Chip hit the floor hard as he fell out of bed. His eyes shot open as he sat up.

"What the hell…?" Chip muttered, grabbing his left side out of beginning habits. Surprisingly, all he felt was muscle and flesh; there wasn't a bit of scar tissue left from his injuries. "It's just a dream, calm down." He then turned to stare at the egg, which was much too large for his nightstand. Its outer shell had changed in color as of late, to a dull goldenrod. "Your Uncle Charlie is out of his damn mind." Chip said before getting up and walking into his bathroom.

He got ready to take a shower by grabbing his wand and wordlessly transferring his nightclothes into the drop hamper that led into the Rootcore's basement/laundry station. He then sighed as he walked into the small shower stall and began to get ready for the day.

Downstairs, Madison began to check on her giant blueberry muffin inside the cast-iron skillet hanging over the fire in the fireplace, while Vida cheerfully hummed a tune while tossing various meats onto a skillet and setting a small isolated fire in the middle of the room.

"Damn you Maddie and your fireplace hogging and muffin-making." Vida jokingly scolded.

"Damn you Vida and your animal killing and pyromaniacal tendencies." Madison replied back using the same tone. They giggled softly as Xander walked downstairs with his face buried in a plain-covered book.

"What a lovely Sunday it is," Xander said without looking up. "and luckily, we have the day off."

"Ooh." Vida replied. "Are you suggesting that we have-"

"A picnic?" Madison said, cutting Vida off.

"Of course." Xander said, sitting the book down on his chair at the round table. "So, what's breakfast today, ladies?"

"Blueberry muffins!" Madison replied.

"And meat!" Vida cheered.

"Ah, nothing to drink?" Xander asked.

"Clare should be back with some cider soon." Madison replied. "She's making it all by herself."

"Ooh, apple cider and sausage…Mother Nature's harvest." Vida sighed happily as she began paying attention to the sausage links in the pan that were rolling about as they cooked.

Nick groaned as he woke up slowly. Even with the combined healing efforts of Madison, Xander, Vida, and Clare, nothing could drive away the feeling of being hit by a truck.

"What…what day is it?" Nick asked as he struggled to sit up on the couch.

"It's Sunday." Madison replied. Clare walked in, and as soon as she saw Nick trying to get up, she nearly tossed the jug of cider.

"Nick! Lay back down!" She screamed.

"Clare, I'm fine. I'm just sore…I can walk it off."

"Are…are you sure?" Clare asked in a concerned tone. "I mean…I know we worked really hard, but did we do that good?"

"Yeah, I don't feel any pain…I just feel like I haven't moved my body in ages." Nick replied.

"Okay…" Clare said as she sat the jug down on the round table. "Is breakfast almost ready, ladies?"

"Yup! The muffin's almost done!" Madison replied.

"The ham's getting all chewy, the sausage's turning nice and brown…and the bacon's crisp…it'll be done any minute!"

"Then I'll set the table." Nick replied.

"We're missing somebody…" Clare replied.

Upstairs, Chip stumbled out of the shower; he was still dead tired and in a daze. He tied his towel around his waist and walked back into his room, quickly waking up as he noticed that the egg had moved in its blanket nest.

"Who moved the egg?" Chip muttered as he walked over to it. However, as he made his way over, the egg moved again, all on its own. A scratching sound was emitted from the egg as well. Chip's eyes widened. He grabbed his wand and pointed it at the wall. "Sonare Nix!" He shouted, making a clear wave shoot from his wand at the wall, covering it in a layer of clear film that appeared to be a mystical form of Seran wrap. Suddenly, scratching came from the egg once more, then tapping. Then, a crack, and then an unholy screech erupted and filled the room.

"Chip!" Madison shouted from the staircase. "I've called him five times, can't he hear me?"

"Maybe he's still sleeping." Clare replied. "We should let him sleep."

"But…we made breakfast for…all of us…" Madison replied, giving a sad look that resembled a beaten dog's face.

"Well, more for us then, sis!" Vida replied, greedily rubbing her hands together.

"Figures you'd say that." Madison flatly replied.

As they all began to sit down and wait for Chip, a loud banging noise erupted from upstairs, along with a bit of awkward stumbling. Madison and Clare ran to the stairs and spotted Chip, who was wearing something that looked like it would've crawled out of Nick's closet, holding a wadded up blanket close to him.

"Out of the way!" Chip shouted. He sounded like he couldn't control the volume of his voice. The girls moved away from the stairs and let Chip through.

"What's that?" Xander asked.

"What?" Chip asked.

"What's that in your arms?" Xander asked, this time pointing while upping the volume of his voice.

"What?" Chip yelled.

"HE ASKED WHAT YOU'RE HOLDING!" Madison yelled straight into his ear.

"Oh! Sorry, I can't really hear anything; the damn thing nearly deafened me!" Chip shouted back.

"We can tell." Vida snidely remarked. She found his temporary near-deafness as a blessing.

"Oh, hold on…um…oh! Ora Celu!" Clare pointed her wand at Chip's ears, and a flash of gold sparks shot out of the tip of her wand and at his ears. Chip's ears glowed gold for a second, then faded back to their normal shade. "Better?"

"Well, now I can hear you perfectly, so yeah." Chip replied. A small whimper rose up from the blankets, one that sounded like a cat was being strangled while an eagle screeched. Clare and Madison looked over Chip's shoulder, and they gasped as a big beak poked out from under the blankets.

"Is that the hatchling?" Xander asked.

"Oh! How cute!" Clare and Madison cooed.

"Aw, Charlie's a daddy." Clare said.

"No, I'm an uncle." Chip beamed with pride.

"Then this's…"

"Yup. Icaryia's boy."

"She gave birth to that egg? That had to be painful…"

"Oh, no, she gave birth while we were in Infershia. The egg just never hatched down there…I'm kinda grateful for that now…" He grinned lightly and looked down. The newborn hippogryph happily shrieked at all of the attention he was getting.

"What a little lady's man he is…" Madison commented.

"Did you give him a name yet?" Clare asked.

"No…" Chip replied.

"Well, it just hatched…it can go without a name for a day or two…"

"Ahem…breakfast?" Vida pointed out. "Cold bacon is not delicious!"

"But the baby-"

"Will be here after breakfast, and you can spend the rest of the day cooing it until it bites a finger off. Now shut up and eat." Vida pointed to the seats.

Nick didn't sit down; he merely grabbed a few slices of ham and a thin slice of the muffin 'pie' and wrapped them in separate pieces of parchment. He then used his wand to change his riding cloak and mystical clothes into something familiar; a red beater, a black leather jacket, indigo jeans, and black sneakers.

"And where are you going?" Clare asked.

"I promised Toby last week that I would visit him on Sunday. Half dead or not, I'm not going to take back my promise." Nick smiled and walked out while gnawing on a piece of ham.

"But Nick-" Clare reached out, but she knew it wasn't going to work. She sighed and sat down in Nick's chair.

"He'll be fine, Clare." Madison said, smiling. "You should eat and not worry so much."

The baby hippogryph lightly shrieked in agreement.

"See? Even the baby thinks so." Madison commented as she went back to making cutesy noises while interacting with the newborn.

Nick sighed as he flew through the woods towards Roftwood. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with Toby; his mind was fixated on his dream and on his beating from nine hours ago. Why was he still alive? Why hadn't Wolzard taken him out right then and there? It was confusing to him, and the attempts at deciphering any logic from any of it made his throbbing headache beat harder against his head lacerations. His whole back froze up as he tried to steer the bike, making it hard for him to do much of anything.

"I have to get there soon…" Nick muttered as he began to breathe heavily. He was obviously not as healed up as he thought. He floored the bike-broom as he doubled over on the bike. He steered as best as he could as he continued his ride to Roftwood.

Toby waited at the little coffee shop at the corner where him and Nick met every time they hung out together. He sighed and began to sip the dark brew slowly; Nick was always the guy who got to a place ten minutes early, and now he was a half hour late. Toby's cell phone rang a familiar tune he had set specifically for Nick's line; he nearly dropped his coffee in excitement. He checked his phone quick, and found it odd that it said "Russell, Nick", but didn't list a number, but it was Nick nonetheless. He hit the accept button and placed the receiver to his ear.

"Hey Nick!" Toby replied.

"Hey…" Nick replied. He sounded tired over the line.

"What's up, man? You're never late!"

"I'll be there soon…I'll explain when I get there."

"You sound weird…you okay?"

"Just look up in the sky…better yet, you'll hear me when I get there."

"What?" Toby thought his friend had gone insane for a minute, but then he quickly reminded himself that Nick was in a weird world, and if something made sense, it soon would. He waited for a response, but Nick hung up on him. "Eh, must be bad…" Toby muttered to himself as he shoved his cell back into his pocket. "Nick never freaks out like this…"

He went to take a sip of his coffee when he heard a loud noise rustling above him from the north. The noise got louder and drew the attention of everybody else on the streets around the area. Toby looked up to see Nick on his bike-broom and he jumped in shock. Nick landed softly next to Toby's car, then turned off the wind turbines. People began gathering around the bike-broom, but Toby shooed them off. Toby then turned his attention to Nick, who had yet to get off the bike and was hunched over the handlebars.

"Nick…you okay?" Toby asked, setting his coffee down on top of his car as he walked over slowly and tried to look within his helmet.

"I…I'm in a little pain…" Nick replied as he clenched his teeth in agony. His whole body froze and tensed up as he struggled to let go of the handlebars. A deep breath loosened him up a bit and allowed him to get off his bike-broom. "I'll be fine." Nick replied, taking off his helmet and revealing the huge wrap around his forehead.

"Are you sure, because usually bandages around the head aren't a good sign…especially ones with blood soaked in them…are you sure about hanging out today?"

"Yeah!" Nick replied. "I just need some coffee."

"Here, take mine…" Toby replied.

"Nah, you drink it black. I need cream and sugar or I'm an irritable prick."

"Alright, get inside." Toby said, grabbing Nick's arm.

"Wait!" Nick replied, digging into the side compartment of his bike-broom and pulling out the two parchment wraps and sliding his helmet inside. "There, now we can go in."

The pair walked into the coffee shop, and eyes wandered towards them, mostly in wonder of the strange guy who just flew into town, literally. Nick looked around and felt a little paranoid, but he ordered a coffee nonetheless and sat down at a booth to drink it.

"This…happen to you often in…that town?" Toby avoided saying 'Briarwood', because he knew it'd draw more stares.

"I usually don't spend much time resting in Briarwood outside of Xander's house or the bakery, so…" Nick replied softly as he unwrapped the muffin slice.

"Oh, a bake-is that a blueberry muffin?" Toby began salivating over the smell.

"Freshly baked from scratch. One of Madison's specialties."

"You mind sharing?"

"Not at all." Toby grinned and took over a third of the muffin. "I got ham too."

"Ham? Geez, they got tons of food there, eh?"

"Not really, I just happen to live with three bakers, an outdoorsman, and a girl who loves her meat."

Toby grinned suggestively, and Nick realized why. "Oh, not like that, Toby."

"Freud striking you again, Russell?" Toby joked.

"Hardly."

"Yeah, I noticed that you look a little thinner." Toby said cheerfully. Nick rolled his eyes. "What else are they feeding you?"

"I think the secret is that I haven't had a donut in a month."

"No donuts? What, are they hiding them from you, the bakers?"

"They didn't know what they were, and the head baker refuses to make them. He hates donuts as much as he hated my bike. But hey, he gives me a place to sleep."

"You sound like you're living it up out there."

"I wish. Lots of work, between learning spells, practicing them, fighting constantly…we lost our mentor yesterday, then I got ambushed…"

"Yeah, did the guy hit you with a truck?"

"No, the guy blew me through a few trees."

"…You're gay?"

"Not that kind of bl…oh, nevermind. What's up with you today?"

"I'm just used to you making those kind of comments. Kinda miss it."

"Sorry, Toby. I've become so busy saving the world, I've forgotten everybody else."

"Well, I used to imagine that you had no other life outside being a cop. I guess I was right." Toby took a sip of his coffee.

"Being a cop and being a protector of the planet are two different things, Toby."

"I see." Toby took a bite out of his muffin slice as Nick unwrapped the ham slices. Toby chased the muffin with a sip of coffee as he continued. "So…you won't be visiting any more? No more hang out time with ya? Is that why you came?"

"I came because I promised, Toby."

"But will it be another month until I see you again? Another month after that?"

"Toby…I…" Nick had no idea why Toby was suddenly insanely insecure and bitchy. "I will come and visit you whenever you want. I don't mind."

"No, you're off saving the world…I'm just a friend…"

"Toby…c'mon."

Nick suddenly developed a migraine. _Where are you, Red Magician…? _Nick's eyes widened as the pain increased.

"Don't act like you're in pain now that I'm making my point."

_Where are you, boy…? Have you fled in despair…?_

"Go away, Wolzard…" Nick muttered softly, both as an attempt to get Wolzard out of his head, and to warn Toby that he was suffering a bit.

"Nick…you're scaring me…"

_Are you hiding amongst the faithless again like you always have…?_

"Toby…the reason…I'm in pain…is that this guy's trying to kill me…" Nick winced heavily as he spoke and grabbed his right temple.

"Who's trying to kill you…?" Toby looked around, confused.

"The guy…the guy who kicked my ass last night…"

_I know where you are now…return to the real world…the faithless have nothing for you now…_

"Faithless…" Nick muttered as he looked around. Who were the 'faithless'…?

"Faithless…?" Toby asked.

"I…I need to go." Nick replied.

"I'm coming with you." Toby replied.

"No, you gotta stay. I think he's coming after me again."

"Well then, if you die, you're gonna need a witness."

"Wolzard won't leave a witness." Nick replied as he got up.

"Hey Nick…what about your food here?"

"Keep it." Nick said. "I promise to hang out with you later…I'm sorry for today…" Nick then headed for the door.

Toby wrapped up the leftover food, and watched at Nick walked over to his bike-broom. "Not this time, Nick." He commented, getting up with the food in hand and walking to his car.

As Nick flew off, Toby slowly followed him in his car. He was hoping that Nick never looked down, as his light blue '74 VW Bug stood out easily against the blacktop.

_Are you running again, Red Magician? You fear me…you fear yourself…_

"Shut up!" Nick shouted at he flew out of the city limits.

_Are your friends really friends…? Are the faithless you care about truthful…? You live in a world of lies…fed truth only is doses…join me…I will open your eyes…_

"I won't join you!" Nick shouted, flying higher.

Toby nearly lost sight of him as he rose into the treetops. He suddenly heard a high-pitched shriek, causing him to look farther upwards. A black clothed, bat like humanoid creature chased after Nick. "Holy shit! What the fuck is that?" Toby began reaching for the glove compartment as he struggled to steer.

Nick heard Vankyuria's cry and he reacted by flying wildly about.

"A Magician in my hands is worth two in Rootcore!" Vankyuria cackled as she flew faster and caught up to Nick.

"Like Hell you're taking me!" Nick shouted as he pulled out his wand, pointing the phoenix gem straight forwards. "Maagi Magi Majiiro!" A red Magic Circle appeared in front of him, and he was transformed into his Mystic Force uniform as he flew through it. "Jii Jijiru! MagiStaff Sword!" Nick then cried out, turning his wand into a sword. "I'm getting the hang of this…" He commented to himself. He then carefully turned the bike-broom around and pointed his sword at Vankyuria. "Jii Majika!" A firebolt erupted from the tip of his sword, but Vankyuria easily dodged it.

_Why resist us…? You have such potential…you're wasting your life fighting against us…_

Nick grabbed his head and dropped his sword, leaving him vulnerable. Just as Vankyuria approached Nick, a shot ran out, striking her through the right shoulder. Nick came to and saw Toby, regulation police pistol in hand, in position behind his car door, aiming at Vankyuria.

"A human DARES to strike me with a strange weapon?" Vankyuria fumed.

"Toby, get out of here!" Nick shouted.

"Not a chance!" Toby replied.

Nick panicked and began to swoop down for his sword as Vankyuria swooped down to attack Toby. Toby fired off a few more rounds, striking Vankyuria in the chest.

"I need a lucky shot…" Toby mumbled as he took to aiming higher up on Vankyuria. Nick caught his sword just as Toby took one last shot; the bullet struck her straight between the eyes, knocking her to the ground with a scream.

"Toby! Move your car!" Nick shouted.

"Gotcha!" He replied as he climbed into his car and backed up. Vankyuria began to get up, and Nick took the opportunity to strike. "Jii Majika!" The firebolt connected this time, slamming into Vankyuria and lighting her on fire. Toby rolled up to meet Nick with a look of mixed awe and hilarity.

"Hey, nice suit." Toby joked as he parked his car and got out of it.

Nick dropped out of transformation and frowned. "Hey, I'm not the one who made it."

"That was wicked, man…" Toby said, looking back on Vankyuria.

"Yeah, you almost got yourself killed, Toby."

"Well, I can't leave an injured partner go out on his own when there's trouble."

"Don't call me partner." Nick said. "We're not on the force any more."

Toby took a step back; the shock from Nick's comment was almost too much. "Are we…still friends…or shouldn't I call you that, either?"

"We are. Don't ever think we aren't friends. We'll always be friends, best friends. But…not partners. My fight is much more than yours; not to say that your fight isn't impor-" Nick then winced and collapsed as a shockwave shot up his back. Toby panicked and slowly moved Nick into the passenger seat of his car. "I'm not letting you operate any kind of heavy machinery, especially flying ones, in your condition. As your friend, I just can't."

"Fine…" Nick replied painfully; he wasn't sure he was capable of doing so anyways.

"Now…how to get that…that thing of yours to come along with us…"

"It'll follow the car…" Nick replied as he leaned against the inside of the car door.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. It'll follow me, so…yeah." Nick sounded tired.

"Okay, if you say so." Toby hopped into the car, put the pistol back into the glove compartment, then began to drive off. Sure enough, after about fifty feet, the bike-broom began to levitate and follow Toby, soon flying side-by-side with the passenger side of the car. Nick fell asleep, leaving Toby to drive alone back to Briarwood. He instinctively drove north, remembering the child's tale. "It's supposed to be as far north as I can go…"

In Briarwood, Xander, Madison, and Clare were setting up Xander's small backyard into a picnic area.

"I don't think we've ever been in this garden, Xander." Madison commented. The Romanesque marble columns accented the outer wall of the backyard, making the place feel a bit more ancient and regal.

"No, nobody has besides me in the last ten years…" Xander replied as he picked up one of the various books he had left lying around in recent months. "It's nice to be able to use this place as a picnic spot, ya know?"

"Yeah, it's a shame to let this all exist without reaping the benefits of it with picnics and parties." Vida commented as he jumped Xander from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Off." He smugly said, gently pulling her arms away and setting her down.

"Aw, you don't want me touching you?" Vida replied as she began to tickle Xander's left side.

"Agh! No! You know I'm ticklish there!" Xander replied, writhing around and trying to avoid her grasp.

"I wonder how Nick is…" Clare suddenly said. Madison looked over to her; she had stopped setting up the picnic and had turned to braiding a daisy chain.

"Don't worry, Clare. I bet he's doing just fine." Madison joked as she sat down next to Clare.

"Yeah…" Clare replied, continuing with the daisy chain making.

"You know, if you're really worried, Nick's just a wand flick away."

"But I don't wanna interrupt him…"

"I'm sure he won't mind! Nick doesn't seem like that kind of thing would make him mad."

"I guess…" Clare set down her daisy chain and picked up her wand. "Parle Parfait."

"Nick…? Nick…?" Toby's driving became distracted by Clare's voice. After a few times, he nudged Nick and woke him up.

"Huh? Where are we?" Nick asked.

"Nick…?" Clare called out again.

"Oh, my wand…" Nick slowly dug his wand out of his coat pocket. "Clare…?"

"Nick! You're okay! I mean…hi." Clare responded. Nick smiled weakly. "I'm sorry I interrupted your day wit-"

"Oh, it's no big deal. I'm coming back against my will. Toby's dragging me back."

"Hey, with all your spazzing out and hearing voices that want to kill you, I'm surprised that you think I'm crazy!"

"Spazzing out? Hearing voices?" The news seemed to rattle Clare up again.

"It's nothing…"

"Just get to Xander's house safely, okay? We're gonna have a picnic, and you and Toby are cordially invited."

"Me? Aw, that's alright." Toby replied.

"No, a fried of Nick's is a friend of ours, right?"

"Yeah." Xander, Vida, and Madison replied.

Toby smiled. "Fine, you've convinced me. We'll be there soon…I think."

"Alrighty, see you soon!" Clare's voice then faded out.

"So…Clare, eh?" Toby suggestively asked.

"Yeah, she was that weird tree girl from the station." Nick replied as he began to get comfortable in the chair again.

"Oh really?" Toby asked. "Did she give you a big hug and a kiss after you saved her?" Toby asked jokingly.

"No. In fact, I don't even think I got a thanks from her. Or did I? I can't remember." He sighed. "Besides, she doesn't like me like that, and I don't like her like that either."

"C'mon, Nick, be honest…" Toby asked, nudging Nick a few times "Would ya?"

"We're kinda dealing with a lot of stuff right now…our leader was axed yesterday and I think she's still kinda out of it. I think they're all trying to pretend nothing happened."

"Oh shit…who killed him?"

"Her…and the same guy who's after me."

"Oh damn, that's pretty shitty."

"Tell me about it."

A few moments passed in silence. "So, anyways, if your boss didn't die…would you?"

"Toby." Nick gave an annoyed look.

"What, you can't blame me for being curious! I mean, she's cute when she's not covered in dirt and leaves; a keeper if you keep her clean."

"She's now my boss."

"Ooh, never mind then." Toby asked. "It is an unspoken rule that employees must never sleep with the boss. It makes the workplace all…stuffy."

"Yeah…" Nick replied, falling back asleep with a smile on his face.

Back at Xander's house, Clare finished off her daisy chain as Chip walked in carrying around the baby hippogryph. Chip blew past Madison, who had walked up to greet him, and sat down next to Clare.

"Oh, hi Charlie!" Clare said. Her attention then turned to the baby. "Aw! Hello to you too!" She poked its stomach gently and kissed its beak, which was replied with a screechy coo. "AW!"

Madison began playing with the hem of her shirt as she walked back inside. Vida stopped her as she approached the doorframe. Madison sadly looked over at her.

"Cheer up, sis. It's been rough for the last month or so for us…for all of us. You can't rely on him to always cheer you up." Madison smiled weakly, then silently continued her way in. Vida sighed, then looked back at Chip and Clare. "If I didn't have restraints, you Mysterian bastard, I would finish what I started. You don't deserve my sister's kindness; neither you nor your damn freak of nature." She muttered before walking in.

After nearly twenty minutes, Maddie heard a knock at the door. She set down her book of astronomy that she had taken from the bookcase nearby and got up. She panicked, wondering if she should answer the door or not. The door was knocked on once more, which made her jump. "Coming!" She replied softly as she approached the door. After nearly a minute of inching towards the door, she found herself standing in front of the handle. She slowly turned it, revealing that Toby was on the other side. Madison had no clue who he was, but she knew from his clothes that he was from outside Briarwood.

"Hi." She meekly replied.

"Hey. Is this Xander's house, by any chance?" Toby asked.

"Um…yes." Madison was unsure of what to say. Vida was usually in charge of door greetings in the Rocca Household.

"Who's at the door?" Vida asked as she walked into the room.

"Um…I don't know."

"Move, Maddie." Vida said, lovingly moving Madison away from the door. Vida instantly recognized Toby from her visit to Roftwood. "Hey there! You must be Toby."

"Yup, that's me. You're that girl who turned into a broom, aren't you?"

"You remember that?" Vida asked, blushing. "That wasn't my best transformation, trust me."

"Oh, you were spitting up hay the entire time!"

"At least I wasn't hiding underneath a table the entire time!" Vida laughed. "So, where's Nick?"

"He's asleep in the car, but he luckily woke up as we got into town. I was hoping I got the directions right."

"Well, you're here, aren't ya?" Vida joked as she walked past. "Maddie, take Toby out to the back with everybody else. I'll get Nick up."

"Okay." Madison replied. Vida was good at first impressions, but Madison excelled in making others feel at home. "So, how're you today? Are you ready to have a good time at our picnic? I made a lot of the food…"

Vida approached the car, shooing the bike-broom out of her way as she opened the door. She cautiously grabbed Nick's shoulder and shook, waking him up.

"Hey sleepy, welcome back to Briarwood." Vida said.

"Hey Vida." Nick replied with a smile.

"C'mon, Toby's inside already, and we're all waiting to see ya!" Vida said, watching Nick as he unbuckled and got out of the car.

Nick stared at his bike-broom for a moment, then smiled. "Okay you, up to the balcony with Xander's broom with you!" The bike-broom replied as well, slowly flying up to the balcony on its own.

"That's amazing, Nick…" Vida said as he and Nick walked into the house. "You commanding your broom like that…"

"Why so?"

"Well, I mean…you're from the outer mortal realm…you must be pretty gifted with magic to pull off a stunt like that."

"So you can't do that?"

"I can, it's just that…well, most people who are starting out in magic don't have that kind of power, you know, to just control things to move as they please. I'm impressed; you've come a long way." Vida flashed him a "V for Victory" as she walked inside before him.

"Gifted, huh?" Nick smiled.

Toby was greeted by Xander as he arrived in the backyard.

"Hi, I'm Xander." He extended his hand for a formal shake, which Toby took. "I believe we met in the other town…"

"Yeah, you came running into the station with Broom Girl."

"Oh, Vida?"

"The one with the short hair."

"Yeah, Vida. She was the broom, and I rode into town on her." Clare coughed, averting Xander's attention away from talking.

Toby walked over to Clare and smiled. "Well, hello, ex-jailbird." Toby said, shoving his hands into his coat pockets.

"Well, hello, ex-cop." Clare countered. Toby frowned mildly. "See? I can do that too." She stuck out her tongue jokingly.

Toby looked over at the silent Chip and spotted the baby hippogryph. "That's a weird looking eagle…"

"It's a hippogryph." Clare replied. Chip didn't even seem to notice that Toby was there.

"Oh…" Toby found it hard to believe, but he nodded and sat down on the picnic blanket that had been set out.

Tons of finger foods sat around a pitcher of apple cider in the middle of the huge blanket; small sandwiches, cookies, ladyfingers, and mini muffins, along with a bowl of German potato salad, a small helping of baked beans and bacon, and a bowl filled with various fruit slices.

"Looks like a big party here." Toby said.

"Well, there's seven-"

Chip cut Clare off. "Eight."

"…eight of us here, so…"

"Eight?" Toby counted, adding Vida and Nick. He only got seven, but then remembered the hippogryph. "Oh…the bird."

"Hippogryph." Chip corrected.

"Right."

"Nick!" Clare shouted as Vida and Nick arrived.

"See, Clare, nothing to worry about." Madison replied.

"Sit, Nick." Vida said, forcefully sitting him down on the blanket. "Now everybody, dig in!" Everybody did as was asked, because it had become well known that a happy and cheerful Vida was a death sentence.

After nearly an hour of everybody eating, Madison walked inside. She was sick of seeing Chip feeding the hippogryph and not saying a word to anybody. She understood that it needed a lot of attention, but for Chip to completely ignore everybody but Clare was ridiculous.

She opened up the astrology book and continued reading. She noticed that Xander had written notes in the book in his small handwriting that she always made fun of him for. She couldn't help but notice that he wrote like his father, who had been his uncle's bookkeeper.

Outside, the baby hippogryph began to whine and screech as it writhed. Chip lied him down on the ground, and he shook off the blanket.

Already standing a foot tall and a foot and a half in length, the hippogryph infant was quite a sight. The sun seemed to make his yellow down sparkle and gleam, and his light brown eyes seemed to look everywhere at once. He squawked loudly and spread his wings as he walked around for a bit to get the feel of moving.

"Aw!" Clare cooed. "C'mere, you little cutie!" Clare reached out for the infant, but it squawked at her and walked away. It seemed to be looking for something else, in Chip's eyes, so he also looked around. The hippogryph walked towards Xander's house, and Chip followed him. "Somebody's wandering…" Chip cheerily commented as he got up.

The hippogryph started scratching at the door that led back in the house, and Chip turned around. "Xander, is it okay for him to walk around inside?"

"Keep out of trouble, don't open any locked doors, and you're fixing any scratches he puts in the tiles."

Chip then opened the door and walked in, closing it behind him.

"That thing reminds me of a giant, four-legged chicken." Toby commented. Xander snorted at the comment.

"Well, I'm just happy to see Charlie so happy. He hasn't smiled like that since he got here." Clare replied as she drove her fork into a hunk of potato.

Inside, Madison found herself getting lost amongst the illustrations in the astrology book when she felt a light tug on the bottom of her dress. She looked down and saw the hippogryph pulling away.

"Oh, hi." She plainly replied. She slid a bookmark into the book and set it on the desk beside her.

Chip hid behind the other side of the doorway. _So he was looking for Madison…why?_

"You want something?" Madison asked as she slid down out of the chair and onto the floor. The hippogryph began to walk away, then turned around, as if expecting Madison to follow.

"I'd rather stay inside. If I'm not going to be noticed, I might as well make myself disappear."

_What an odd thing to say…_Chip mused. _They were paying attention to her…_

Madison sighed. "I'm sorry, little one…" The hippogryph cooed and walked back to Madison, curling up in her lap. "Aw…" Madison cooed. "If you wanna stay in here with me, I won't mind!"

_Oh…he wanted to be with her…_

"Where's your uncle? Shouldn't he be taking care of you and forgetting about me and the rest of us?"

Chip caught a connection. _Is she…upset at me? Wait…was she trying to get me to notice her…? I noticed her!_ Chip sighed angrily.

Madison began to run her hand over the hippogryph's body, like she would if Lupin had crawled in her lap. "I wish Lupin would curl up to me…but he misses my mom too…" Madison sighed deeply, then continued on with petting as she continued on talking. "Thank you for visiting me. It means a lot to me, ya know?" She smiled.

She brushed off her dress's skirt; it was a full-length oriental-type dress, with the design of a water dragon surging upwards from the bottom of the dress and ending right at the neck. "I wore this dress, and I hoped he'd notice…I hoped he'd say something about it…maybe something like, 'nice dress', or 'what an interesting design'…this dress hasn't been seen by anybody in years…it used to be my mom's. Do you like it?" The hippogryph cooed in response. "I'm glad you do. I bet its because it's soft."

_She's really upset at me…_Chip frowned and sighed. _Maybe I should do something…I mean, I'd hate for her to hate me and love Tsubasa…_

"Tsubasa!" Chip called out, finally walking out from behind the doorframe. Madison turned around, and Chip spotted the hippogryph in her lap. "Oh, there you are…" Chip smiled.

"Tsubasa? Is that his name?" Madison asked.

"Ugh…yeah." Chip replied, scratching the back of his head.

"It's a nice name. It's unique."

"Thanks." Chip sat down next to Madison. "Is he sleeping?"

"I think so." Madison replied. "He just walked in here and started tugging…on my dress…"

"It'd be a shame if he ruined it…it's a very fancy dress." Madison blushed. "Is this real silk?" He asked, picking up the bottom of the dress to inspect it.

"Mhm. Hand-embroidered silk. It was my mother's…I thought it'd be nice to wear it on such a nice day."

"It fits you nicely."

"Thanks." Madison blushed a bit more and turned away.

"What're you doing here all alone anyways?" Chip asked, although he knew the answer already.

"I needed a break from the sun."

"You're a horrible liar."

"I'm not lying." Madison replied defensively. After a moment, she looked down. "Okay, I came in to read by myself."

"Oh, what're you reading?" Chip asked, getting up and grabbing the astrology book on the desk.

"Don't lose my place!" Madison asked loudly, quickly closing her mouth as Tsubasa stirred.

"Oh, this." Chip sounded disappointed after merely skimming where he had opened. He closed the book and set it back down.

"What, don't you like astrology?" Madison asked.

"A book can't tell you who you are, or what you're supposed to do." Chip deadpanned. He seemed to be speaking out to something far away.

"You don't believe in destiny?" Madison asked.

"Destiny is a blackboard, but we hold the white chalk." He replied. Madison found his words to be sagacious, a bit more experienced than him.

"What a pessimistic thing to say…"

Chip looked down. "Yes, well, it's hard to say such optimistic things about blackboards when you don't have one anymore." Chip sadly half-smiled as he began to head out.

"Wait." Madison said, grabbing him by his hand as he walked by. Her hand nearly slipped out of his cold and clammy palm, so she clenched down hard. Chip looked down at her.

"What?"

"What do you mean?"

"What…do I mean?"

"About not having a blackboard…?"

"I said enough." Chip said, shaking Madison's hand off. He took a few steps away before Madison spoke up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"I didn't mean to dive. You just…make me babble on when I should shut up." Chip smiled. "It's not a bad thing…just…unusual." He turned around.

"Still, it was wrong for me to pry." Madison replied.

"I'll be fine…" Chip replied. "I'm just trying to come back to life." He then turned around and walked back out to the picnic.

Madison sighed as Tsubasa stirred in her lap. She slowly scooted over to grab the book and began to quietly continue her reading.

The next fifteen minutes outside were spent with everybody rolling the old 20 Questions at Toby, who was eager to answer them. Chip stayed silent after letting Xander know that Madison and Tsubasa were inside resting, slowly poking at his serving of potato salad. Clare nudged him and pulled him aside, dragging him farther back in the backyard, where all the broken marble columns lied.

"Charlie…are you okay?" Clare asked. "I know you…even when you're amongst strangers, you're not this quiet."

"I'm…okay…I just had a rough sleep."

"What happened?" Clare asked, sitting down on a large column base.

"I dreamed…about my family…and me…we…" Chip sat down as he began to shiver. "we were all dead…"

"Oh, Charlie!" Clare tossed herself towards Chip and hugged him tightly. "Oh Majiel, that's horrible…"

"It's okay…I'm okay about that."

"Then what's wrong?" Clare asked, still clinging tightly to him.

"Nothing's wrong, really…it's just…Tsubasa hatched, and I realized…I realized that…I realized my purpose. I am alive to make sure Tsubasa lives too. I'm here to raise him, and to protect him, with the magic I now have. Then it became broader. There are a lot of people like Tsubasa, ones without protection, those who are weak who need me to be with this group of people that I feel so apart from…that's the reason why I have to stay, even if I want to go…I'm so free to do what I want, but I also have to honor Udonna's memory and stay…for now."

"Charlie…"Clare looked up and smiled at Chip. "I can't remember you ever saying that you were free. It's strange to hear you speak like that."

"I'm not used to saying it, but it's true now. I have nobody holding me back…I am truly like the wind now…"

Clare sighed as she stood up and let go of Chip. "I hope you plan to stay for a while."

"Well, until Tsubasa grows up. He seems to like Madison a lot…but I don't think she'll leave this place, and it would crush Tsubasa, I think, if he were young, to just get up and leave his lady friend behind."

"Oh, I think you both have a different opinion of Madison." Clare said, walking back towards the picnic.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chip said, standing up and following her out. Madison arrived at the back door at about the same time as Chip and Clare arrived back at the picnic. Tsubasa was circling around her ankles while she mindlessly walked and read at the same time.

"Speak of the devil."

Madison sat down and was greeted by the group.

"Sleep well?" Xander asked.

"Oh, yeah." Madison said as she sat down, which cued Tsubasa to happily hop into her lap. She opened the book up once more, and Xander looked at the cover.

"Is that my astrology guide?" Xander asked, terrified. "Put it down!"

"I'm being gentle, Xander." Madison stuck her tongue out at him. "Besides, you need to learn how to share." Xander huffed.

"Ooh, astrology!" Vida said. "I wanna hear some stuff!"

"Astrology? Isn't that the stuff with the birthdays?" Toby asked.

"Yeah." Madison replied.

"Eh, my brother's all insane about that shit…always trying to find a girl with a 'compatible sign' and that stuff." Toby replied. "He's all uppity about it. He dumped a nice girl because she was an incompatible sign. Crazy shit, that is."

"Well, as a Blue Magician, I must dabble in all forms of fortune telling and future predicting. How about I try working it out on everybody here?" Madison asked, then turning to look at Toby. "Well, except you."

"Ooh! Do me first!" Vida raised her hand. Xander gave her an awkward look.

"You're so eager to be done, aren't ya?" He commented with a sly look that Madison recognized from Chip doing it at the river a week or so ago.

"Alright Vida, what do you think you are?" Madison said, opening the book to what she knew Vida was.

"Am I…a Virgo?"

"A Virgo?" Xander replied. "Why in the world would you want to be a Virgo?"

"Huh?"

"Well, if you are a Virgo, it can be fixed." Xander winked suggestively.

"Xander!" Vida shouted, tossing a knife at him. He deftly dodged it by diving behind Nick. "You chicken!" Vida replied.

"Hey!" Nick shouted at Xander, pushing him back to where he was sitting before. I'm not gonna be a human shield for you!"

"Hey now, c'mon guys…" Clare said. "My first order as leader of this group is that everybody is to at least try to get along. Got it?"

"Yes, Clare." Xander and Vida deadpanned. Madison then cleared her throat.

"Is everybody ready?" Madison asked. The group all gave positive responses.

"So, what am I?" Vida asked.

"Sis, you're an Aries."

"Oh, you're a ram…very horny indeed." Xander commented.

"Xander!" Vida shouted, glaring.

"What, I'm just kidding!" Xander said, once again leaning towards Nick.

"So sis, what does that mean? What do I get being an Aries?" Vida asked.

"Well, it says here that you belong to the first sign of the zodiac, and that you're a Fire Sign. 'People born under Aries are very action-oriented people who defend the things they believe in. While their vast amount of courage and go-getting attitudes make them wonderful leaders in any activity they do, they make horrible lackeys. This attitude comes from Mars being their ruling planet. Their stubbornness to campaign on 'lost causes' is rivaled only by a scant few other signs, but when things get rough, they seem to fall to pieces in the fray. Ariens are best inside of groups where the members are more or less equal, for there are times when the Arien's iron-clad determination needs to be focused by more level-headed, yet equally determined, peers.' It also says that you'd be best off trying to court a Taurus, Leo, or Sagittarius."

"Oh boy, lucky me." Xander rolled his eyes.

"Hm?" Madison asked.

"I'm a Taurus." Xander replied.

"Talk about horny." Vida joked.

"So, what's there to know about Taurus?" Clare asked, trying once more to keep the duo broken up.

"Well, since I don't need to tell Xander much about what he already knows, I'll say a few things. First off, I'm going to say that I'm truly not surprised that Xander is a Taurus, because he makes a perfect Green Magician."

Xander blushed. "You think?"

"Better than me, I think." Madison smiled. "Now, going onwards…let's see…" Madison flipped around until she found Taurus's section. "It says that 'Taurus is an Earth Sign represented by a bull, and people born under the sign tend to be very bullish in nature. They are stubborn, or so to say, don't like to be uprooted, and thus also tend to be very lazy and slow-moving.'"

"It's like they've been secretly watching Xander and writing it all down!" Vida teased.

"Yeah, yeah." Xander said back. He obviously didn't like hearing his own profile.

"'Taureans are also usually possessive, greedy, and self-indulgent. But this doesn't make them horrible people. At heart, when things are stable, they are loyal and honest friends, using their physical and verbal charms to stabilize and pacify others. And even though most Taureans possess most, if not all, of the sign's vices, they are subtle when in a docile setting, and a few vices benefit those around them. The Bull's stubborn resistance to change also makes them desire peace amongst friends, their desire for beauty and fine art oftentimes leads them to pass the benefits onto their loved ones, and their possessiveness of those around them makes them rise from their steady places and charge, horns poised to gouge and dismember, at anybody who dares insult anybody whom they consider close.'"

"Eh, well…you guys are my friends, so I wouldn't mind getting my hands a little dirty to protect ya." Xander replied, scratching the back of his neck and blushing.

"How nice of you to say that, Xander." Clare said. "…you are just trying to butter us up, are you?"

"Why would I need to?" Xander asked.

"Ahem." Madison interrupted. "Who wants to go next?"

"I'd like to hear mine." Clare asked politely.

"When's your birthday?" Madison asked with an equal politeness.

"In mid October…the 12th, to be exact."

"Ah, a Libra!" Madison proclaimed as she shuffled to about halfway into the book.

"Wow, aren't we lucky to have a Libra around here!" Xander piped up.

"Why am I so lucky?" Clare asked.

"'Libra is the Air sign that rules over the end of September and continues until the end of October. This sign is all about balance, and is considered to be the most civil of all signs. Libras have the uncanny ability to make everything around them peaceful and serene, and that's a good thing, considering that they abhor violence. Their sign is the Scale of Justice, which represents their ability to look at both sides of a matter in a detached manner, even if they are deep within the heart of the dispute. Despite their civility, Libras can be needy of approval, can become infamous for gossiping, and dislike doing dirty work. They also have tendencies to hold out until the last minute on decisions, and once they decide, their opinions do not waver. Anyone be damned if they disagree with a Libran opinion.'"

"Well, I don't agree with it!" Clare joked as she crossed her arms. The group laughed.

"Okay, who should I read about next?" Madison asked.

"How about Nick?" Vida asked. "Do you believe in astrology?"

"Well, I never got into it, but sitting here, thinking about what's being said about you guys, I think I'd like to know what that book has to say about me."

"I think my brother once said Nick is a Leo." Toby replied. "Right? Leo is August 17th, right?"

"Leo is from July 23rd to August 23rd, so it's in the latter half of the sign…" Xander replied.

"Then Leo it is!" Madison replied, turning to the section on Leo. "Here we go…'Leo, the Lion of the Sun, is an amazing sign, and many will find that Leos are born to shine as brightly and rule as strongly as the nickname suggests. Leos are the almighty leaders of their domains, and enjoy the benefits of being in those high positions. They can be excessive in luxury, as the king of any jungle would be, and also are prone to being hot-tempered, as any Fire sign would be, but in general, Leos are typically very stable leaders who hold all their subordinates in high regard. It's not uncommon to find a Leo at the helm of anything successful, nor is it uncommon to find Leos on the opposite end of the spectrum; Leos tend to hold the belief that anything is possible, even when it clearly isn't. Like a lion, when confronted with difficult matters, they lash out in violence, and while they are good leaders, they find it hard to back down from anything once their eyes are set on the prize, even if the road ahead leads to physical or mental harm. Regardless of the outcome, Leos do not know the full meaning of failure, for their unusually sunny dispositions never fail to bring a smile to their faces, even after the most disastrous of catastrophes. This sunny disposition and the belief that anything is possible makes Leos gullible and horrible judges of character. A successful group will usually find a Leo waving the banner of action, and if they don't, a Leo will find its way into said group and even take it over, for they adore the limelight – and consequentially, the bragging rights – that comes with being leader of the pack.'"

"So, we've got a big, ego-ridden cat in our ranks." Vida joked.

"I don't have an ego!" Nick shouted back. Clare snorted.

Tsubasa woke up and yawned, getting up and wandering over to Chip. Chip weakly smiled as he stroked the baby hippogryph's back.

"Oh! Chip! Let's hear his next!" Vida replied.

"Actually…" Madison began to say, "I was thinking about looking at mine first…I mean, with all of the excitement, I'd like to hear my own!"

"Ooh, so would I." Xander replied.

"Okay…" Madison flipped through the book, happy that she stopped the prying of Chip's sign from happening. He deserved a break, from what she figured. She spotted the large print of the joined fish and smiled. "Well, if you haven't guessed yet, I am a Pisces."

"Oh, I always thought you were!" Xander said, sounding disappointed that he didn't say it first.

"Why so?"

"Just…just a guess."

"C'mon, what are you thinking about?" Madison pried.

"Well, you're an unusually friendly person. That's what I think about when I think of Pisces; somebody who's just…overly nice." Xander replied, nervously grabbing the back of his neck.

"Aw, how sweet!" Madison replied with a smile.

"Well, get with the reading already!" Vida whined.

"Fine, sis. 'It is often said that the alternative symbol to this Water sign would be a calm and flowing river, for Pisces is an ever-moving, ever-peaceful sign. The Piscean will almost always find itself wandering through life, searching for a higher plane of life, wanting to find their ideal self. Naturally, this makes Pisceans pacifistic; they enjoy the comforting company of others, others enjoy their warm and calm disposition as well as the submissive and meek nature, and they are at their best when there is nothing but peace around them. They easily fit into every kind of group due to their fluid personas, and can be found participating in all walks of life. It is this fluidity that causes Pisceans to worry less about their well-being and more on those around them, for without their outer shell, they fall to the ground and splash…'"

Madison was beginning to regret reading hers aloud.

"'While many people think that the symbol for Pisces should be water, the two fish better represent the dual nature of the Piscean soul; one half shapeless and weak, one half fine-tuned and strong. Consider a Piscean to be water from a tap, waiting for a glass to slide right under it and give it shape, and once they reach the glass, the possibilities are endless. A Piscean, once they have found their niche, refuse to let go, even when it still has the urge to continue moving. However, many Pisceans are far too ambient and out of touch with reality to reach this point. Regardless of a Piscean's faults, they are the warm spirit of any home they inhabit, as they are heavily empathetic, almost to the psychic state of merely looking at a person and being able to tell every emotion emanating from them.'"

Madison looked down, slightly petrified at what she had read. Nobody spoke a word for a moment.

"Hey, that's not bad, sis!" Vida replied. "Just think, you could've had Xander's sign!"

"Hey!" Xander replied coldly.

"Well, Charlie, you're the last one left…" Madison gasped lightly at Clare's statement.

"You don't have t-" Chip cut Madison off.

"No, it'd be unfair to leave them all wanting." Chip said.

"Oh…okay…" Madison replied. "So…when's your birthday?"

"I was born on December the eighth, during a particularly bad snowstorm." Chip replied. "Remember, Clare?"

"The worst one that year. We couldn't make snowmen until we were melted out of the house!" Clare joked.

"December 8th…oh! Sagittarius!" Madison said. Xander frowned slightly at the proclamation, and Vida cringed.

"Looks like you've got the astrological blessing to shag every guy here, Vida." Xander joked, adding a wink at the end.

"If that's a come on, the next knife I throw won't be aimed at your face."

"You two, stop it!" Clare shouted. Everybody jumped back a bit at the sound of her voice, but then recovered quickly. "Okay, I wanna hear Charlie's reading, so everybody hush."

Madison cleared her throat. "Okay…'Sagittarius, the Centaur Archer, is an interesting sign, without a doubt. It was formed to represent Chiron, the wise centaur of ancient lore who spread his wisdom to mankind. This attribute of this Fire sign grants those born under it a vast amount of wisdom. However, the fire within burns heavily, oftentimes burning away the common sense and conscientiousness needed to fully utilize such wisdom. Like an arrow, Sagittarians are straightforward and blindingly fast; they usually don't stop on the way to their goals to ask for questions, as the bare minimum of details is all they perceive to need. Sagittarians crave freedom, and often pursue it at the expense of everything else. However, that's not to say that a Sagittarian isn't loyal, as they are very loyal indeed, but rather that a Sagittarian sticks to the wild and untamed part of itself that refuses to be caged for longer than it has to. However, for all the moving about that Sagittarians do, their hearts are in the home, and they treasure the homes and families that wait for them when they finish traveling.'"

Chip smiled weakly at the last statement and patted Tsubasa lightly on the back.

"'The archer and the arrow it wields seem to be the perfect match for this sign all around, between both its virtues and vices; not only are they free flying, mentally and physically quick and adaptable, but also rushing impatiently into things, and keen on finding the weak points of others. There is still a Fire quality within this early winter sign, and the negative side of the Sagittarian coin leads its followers to become as cold-hearted and frigid as the weather that surrounds them, with a fiery disposition to critically damage anybody within their path with the greatest of ease. Their temper, coupled with their vast wisdom, makes any sort of revenge on their part painful and deep-driving to its target, for the archer never misses a chance to strike the bull's-eye on its victim's emotional target board. However, Sagittarians can always find it easy to forgive if the evidence of deception or misunderstanding is presented; the fiery rage within this sign is not as strong as its fellow Fire signs, Leo and Aries. Sagittarians are said to be accident-prone due to their constant need to push their limits, and their interest in fast-moving sports such as racing doesn't buffer this fact either. Don't be surprised if you find a large population of Sagittarians in a hospital at any given time; however, don't expect to hear a Sagittarian complain about the injury either; the accident leading to the injury was all in the pursuit of excitement and freedom, and there's nothing a Sagittarian sees wrong in that.'"

"See, it didn't kill you, Charlie." Clare commented jokingly.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm not taking it to heart, though." Chip replied.

"Okay, I'll put this book away, and I'll be right back…" Madison replied as she got up.

_Useless without others…? Am I…just supposed to be sheltered forever…?_ Madison pondered as she walked inside. _No, I'm not helpless!_

Down in Infershia, Vankyuria was presenting a wonderful plan to Branken in front of the Master's Pit.

"Vankyuria, we have thousands of Hideacs to send to the surface!"

"Regardless of their numbers, they always fail!" Vankyuria argued. "I suggest sending someone in our ranks who is…stronger."

"I suppose testing your theory out couldn't hurt if we only send one general up…fine! Send Estrangalan up to the surface with some Hideacs. He hasn't proven himself worthy yet on the field of battle." The Master's Pit glowed a crimson shade. "The Master approves of this plan, and so it shall be done!"

"I shall let him know right away." Vankyuria replied. She quickly bowed to the Pit, then walked into a hallway leading to Estrangalan's room.

Vankyuria found in unsettling that the hallway was lined in bloodied scraps of cloth, wrapping up semi-consumed corpses, but she was pleased that Estrangalan was at least training. Her walk down the hall was stopped as a giant figure blocked her path.

"Who dares enter the Lair of Estrangalan?" A voice called out. The voice sounded like it belonged to a person with a deep voice whose mouth was filled with some sort of liquid.

"It is I, Vankyuria, Queen of Vampires. I come representing the Master." Vankyuria bowed slightly; she was respectful, but not submissive.

"What does the Master want with Estrangalan?" He asked.

"The Master requests that you travel to the surface world to destroy his new enemies; a group of five Magicians who are bent on destroying him."

"Estrangalan shall destroy the putrid human Magicians!" He replied, swinging his arms around, causing some of his wraps to fly about in a flurry.

"Then come with me. We have so much to do!" Vankyuria cackled.

Madison sighed as she walked down the street under the dusk-ridden sky; the picnic was long over, and she couldn't find any solace.

She heard a gurgling noise coming from behind her, and she turned around. The sight she saw made her jump.

"Ah, a Magician! Just what the Master wants!"

At Rootcore, Nick had opted to sleep there for the night. The fireflies the flew around the courtyard in the back of Rootcore glowed a beautiful red and a stunning yellow; their constant blinking calmed his nerves and relaxed him.

"The night…it's so calm…" Nick muttered to himself. Toby had long left Briarwood, and it had gotten silent. However, he got the feeling he wasn't alone, and moments later, the cold steel point of a sword blade sticking in his neck told him he was right.

"Get up." The voice said.

"What do you want, Chip?"

"Get up or I'll finish you here…"


	9. Interlude: The Clashing Of Swords

"Chip, are you okay?" Nick said as he stiffly got up and turned around.

"I wish to propose…a small match." Chip replied with a devilish grin, keeping the blade to Nick's neck.

"What kind of match? You mean like a fight?" Nick asked.

"Yes, like a fight."

"I'm not sure if you realize that you're at an advantage…a big advantage. I'm still not feeling well."

"Oh, it's just a friendly match…" The grin remained with the statement, unnerving Nick. "However, I propose a wager to go along with it."

"What kind of wager…?" Nick asked.

"Leadership."

"Of the group?" Nick asked.

"I don't think you're fit to be leader. You know very little of anything compared to the rest of us, and you've suffered several defeats in little over a month. That, and you can't handle a sword. You're not a leader to me."

"If you wanna run the group so badly, go for it! Knock yourself out." Nick replied, taking a step back.

"Coward." Chip replied. "You refuse to save your position from just my words? Pathetic. How can you even be a Magician, let alone our leader, with such a lack of spine?"

"Are you calling me a chicken?" Nick asked, puffing up a bit.

"If 'chicken' means 'cowardly' and 'fearful' to you, then yes, I am."

"Well, if you're calling me out, I guess I have to go for it. What're the rules?"

Chip smiled happily. "No transforming, but we can use magic. We both must engage with swords. No one-hit kills or intentional fatal wounds. I can't promise that I won't hit vitals, but as for you…you may get lucky. Other than that, pretty much anything's allowed." Chip finished his statement with a grin.

"Sounds fair to me." Nick replied as he transmuted his wand into a sword. "Ten paces, back to back, just like a real duel." Nick turned his back to Chip, who then walked up and stood back-to-back with Nick.

"I could kill you at ten paces." Chip taunted.

"Twenty, then."

"I could kill you at twenty as well, but you have a split second to react if you can."

"I like split second timing."

"Shall we dance?" Chip said with a grin.

"Unless you're thinking about ballroom dancing, then let's go."

Nick and Chip began to walk forwards, counting their steps. At twenty paces, they both turned around, firing off an elemental bolt as they swung their swords. The bolts smashed into the opposing blades, and were flung by the movements of the swords. The result was that that both the bolt of lightning and the bolt of fire were diverted to opposite ends of the field.

"You predicted my movement…I'm impressed." Chip replied with a grin. "Maybe I was wrong about you…" Chip crouched down, seeming to take a defensive position.

Nick grinned, summoned fire to engulf his blade and he charged at Chip. Nick got within ten paces and Chip's grin grew sadistic; Nick had moved straight into his trap. Chip pushed off with his back leg while still crouched and began to spin around in a corkscrew while moving forward, sword extended; the movement made him become a medieval human drill, and the move had proved before to be quite fatal.

Nick panicked and stepped to the side, turning around as Chip flew past him. Nick attempted to hit him with an uppercut slash, but the blow was both deflected and countered by Chip.

After only ten seconds, Chip had the tip of his sword at Nick's throat. "Maybe I wasn't." Chip replied as Nick took a few steps back.

Meanwhile, Madison stood in front of Estrangalan, looking him over. The monster was humanoid in structure, and stood nearly a head taller that Madison. His whole body was wrapped tightly in bloody old rags, like a mummy. Black leather straps wrapped around his mouth, with additional straps pulling the bottom of his jaw tight against the rest of his head. His pupils stretched out to the corners of his eyelids, making his appearance even more menacing.

"Who are you?" Madison asked.

"My name is Estrangalan, and I am a general of Infershia. If you wish to make this easy for yourself, you may surrender now." He had cleared his throat, and the voice that was now spoken was soft and unintimidating, almost diplomatic.

_I don't need to surrender! I don't need the others to fight!_

"No!" Madison shouted.

"Trying to be brave, are we?" Estrangalan laughed. "Fine then, I won't restrain myself." He raised his left arm, and the dangling bandages around his wrists came alive and flew towards Madison.

"Maagi Magi Majiiro!" Madison shouted, pointing the mermaid crystal backwards. A blue Magic Circle appeared behind her, and she jumped backwards, going through it and transforming. The bandages slammed into the Magic Circle and became singed at the ends.

"Jii Jijiru! MagiStaff Trident!" Madison shouted. _I'll prove astrology wrong! I won't fall to pieces!_

Meanwhile, Nick was somewhat getting the hang of the sword, as he began to swing it like a billy club. Chip deftly dodged each swipe, grinning all the way.

"This is almost too easy!" Chip replied.

Nick decided to feign the next swing, and when he did, Chip overconfidently took the bait. Nick had stopped the swing last second, and the sudden movement stunned Chip long enough for Nick to take a new swing. The blade sliced through his cloak, and as it rode across his chest, a dull ringing was emitted. Nick stopped, giving Chip an odd look.

"Oh, surprised?" Chip grabbed his cloak and tossed it off, revealing his Wind Scout armor.

"That's cheating!" Nick shouted, throwing a mini-fit.

"Oh, I never said neither of us could wear armor…" Chip grinned. "Maybe you should be prepared for these sorts of things all the time."

"You son of a bitch!" Nick shouted, charging at Chip with the blade poised to gouge his throat.

Chip not only defended himself by blocking the blade, but he then disarmed Nick by slamming the hilt of the sword into his wrist, then kicked Nick back nearly ten feet away. He then picked up Nick's sword and tossed it at him like a small spear, letting it land a mere inch away from Nick's head.

"That's alright…" Nick said as he got up and dusted himself off. "I don't need a sword." Nick grinned as he took an aggressive stance.

Nick had very little training and experience using handheld weapons, but he had trained for years and excelled in hand-to-hand combat in the academy.

"Pick up your sword." Chip commanded.

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"If you can use your armor, then I'm gonna use my fists!" Nick shouted, charging at Chip. He threw a mean right hook at Chip, smashing him in the face and dropping him to the ground. Chip got up quickly and tightly gripped his sword with both hands, pointing the blade straight at Nick's heart, trying to give off a warning to not come closer. Nick decided to even the score; he aimed a roundhouse kick at Chip's hands, and on connection, Chip dropped his sword and knocked him on his side. Chip scrambled to grab his sword, but Nick quickly stepped on the hilt, making his claim.

"If you're gonna fight me now, it'll be without your toy." Nick taunted.

Chip swallowed hard and stood up, putting up his fists in a defensive pose. He had a grim expression on his face, but Nick could see the fear hiding behind his demeanor. Chip took a swing at Nick that was easily avoidable, and the swing preceding it was as easy to predict and dodge. Chip then tried to roundhouse kick Nick, and the blow might have worked on anybody who hadn't been trained to catch and counter kicks. Unfortunately, Nick had been, and he quickly grabbed Chip's ankle and spun him in a 360-degree arc, tossing him into a nearby tree. Chip bounced off, looking only mildly stunned by the blow.

"You think that's gonna stop me?" Chip replied as he got up and dusted himself off.

"No…but I can show you what will." Nick went to step forwards, but then his back seized up and he doubled over. _Not now…not during this fight…_

"Show me what now?" Chip replied, walking up to Nick, hands on his hips and a smug look on his face.

_I can tear myself apart if I have to…I can always be fixed…_"This!" Nick pulled himself back up and quickly jabbed Chip in the face. Chip stepped back and attempted to put up a defense, but Nick unloaded a few quick shots to the chest and stomach before he could. Chip dropped to his knees and looked up, showing off his bloody nose.

"Nice lesson, but I can," Chip said as he crouched down. "and will," Chip then jumped at Nick, poised to headbutt him. "beat you!" Chip slammed into Nick's waist, tackling Nick to the ground. He then began to try and beat Nick down, but Nick grabbed his fists and rolled over so that he had Chip pinned to the ground. He then pulled Chip's arms back and began pulling on them. Chip whimpered slightly.

"No amount of armor's gonna save your arms once I pull them out of their sockets…" Nick taunted through gritted teeth. "I really don't wanna hurt you, Chip…"

"Get off of me…" Chip replied, wincing.

"Sorry, not an option. You can give up or I make sure you're disabled for a while. Hell, I could just kill you right here if I wanted to."

"I don't care!"

"What? Are you serious?"

"Kill me if you want. I'm not afraid…"

Nick smiled. "If there's one thing I learned on the beat, it's 'Never give a crazy man what he wants.'" Nick slowly stood up and let the pain once more seize his body.

"You're…not going to punish me…?" Chip asked, confused. "I just…rebelled…I tried to kill you!"

Nick smiled. "No. I'm not sure why you fought me, but you're clearly have something wrong with you…" He slowly uncurled his torso and picked up Chip's sword, then walked back over to where Chip still lay. He lied the sword down next to Chip's left arm, then went off to grab his own sword. "You need help getting up?"

"Let me rest." Chip replied.

"I'll see you inside later then." Nick replied, getting his sword and slowly walking in.

"What…in all Infershia…just happened…?" Chip asked, looking over at his sword.

Back in the secluded alley in Briarwood, the fight raged on. As Estrangalan shot another bandage whip at Madison, she leaped high into the air to avoid it. She wordlessly controlled the water in the air and used it to propel herself higher than she could normally jump. "Jii Magi Majika! Trident Wave!" She then hurled her trident down to the ground, where it ensnared the bandage whip.

"You little bitch!" He shouted.

The Mermaid crystal glowed a dark blue, and a large wave of water was conjured from the water around the wand. It surged forward, poised to crush Estrangalan under its weight.

"So you think a touch of water's going to kill me…?" He taunted, ripping the bandage off and jumping up to Madison's height, completely avoiding the wave. He extended one last bandage, and Madison put up her arms to block it. The bandage whip went past the right side of her neck, then shot around and snared her left wrist. A few quick wraps around, and it tightened, sending Madison's wrist and lower arm sailing into her throat. She gasped for air as Estrangalan dropped her to the ground.

"I suppose now you'd be willing to go peacefully?"

_I won't…give up…_ "Not in your life!"

"Oh dear, I've never been alive!" He replied, sending a shockwave of dark magic up the bandage whip and shocking Madison into unconsciousness. She was forcibly untransformed, and her armor exploded into a large puddle around her. Estrangalan began to draw the whip back when a large jet of water smacked him upside the head. "Who dares to strike me?" He cried out as he turned around.

A tall, lanky, black-robed figure wielding an ornate white staff with a lion's head engraving stood behind him. The figure had a witch's hat on which concealed their face, but it was clear that the figure was male.

"Let her go, or I will be forced to attack you again." The Blue Magician said, pointing the end of the wand with the lion's head at Estrangalan.

"Oh, I think I'll be leaving with her, boy…sit down." He wrapped a bandage whip around the Blue Magician's staff and yanked him forwards, making his hat fly off. The Blue Magician stood up and revealed the face underneath the hat; Estrangalan gasped and flung the staff away. "You! You…you all…you're supposed to be-"

"Gone? With scum like you around, how could I rest?" The Blue Magician replied, grabbing his wand and aiming the top at Estrangalan's wrist. "Maji Maji Gojika!" He shouted, and from the wand a spinning blade of water shot forth, smashing into Estrangalan's spare wristband and smashing it in two, forever disabling the bandage whips on his right side.

"You insolent…ugh!" A Dark Magic Circle opened up beneath him. "I will be back, and you'll be next!" He sunk into the ground , pulling Madison down with her.

"Madison!" The Blue Magician shouted as he ran towards the Dark Magic Circle. It closed just as he reached the edge, and he collapsed to his knees. "I…I let you down…" He looked over at her trident and sighed, then he picked up his hat and dusted it off. "I won't let you down, not this time."

Back at Rootcore, Chip walked back into the main hall from the courtyard to find Nick lying down on the couch, all wrapped up once more. He wiped his bleeding nose on his sleeve as he walked over to Nick.

"You need something?" Nick asked Chip as he came close.

"Is there anything I can do…?"

"You really want a punishment, eh?" Nick said, opening an eye. "Okay then, fine." Nick weakly sat up. "Since you think I'm such a horrible leader, your punishment is to make me better."

"What…?" Chip was taken aback.

"I've been here, thinking about what you said, and yes, I'm a crappy leader. But I'm only crappy because I'm the new guy. You obviously know what we're dealing with, and what we need to do to stop them. So your punishment for trying to kill me is to show me how to be the leader you think I should be; to teach me about these demons, to show me how to fight, and to make me the best leader a Red Magician should be. Got it?"

"I…I think."

"Fine then. Everything's settled." Nick lied back down. "Now, go feel lucky that I'm in such a sedated mood today and go rest. I want you to meet me downstairs when you're all rested up."

"Oh…okay…" Chip replied, walking upstairs. He felt like Nick had gone insane, but he didn't question any of it.

He walked upstairs and found Tsubasa sleeping next to Madison's door. He picked Tsubasa up and sighed. "Uncle Charlie is a nutcase, Tsubasa, and so is Nick." Tsubasa yawned and stretched as he woke up. He then crawled out of Chip's arms and began to claw on Madison's door.

"Fine, fine…" Chip said, opening Madison's door while knocking. "Sorry if I'm inter…" He poked his head in to find that Madison wasn't in her room. "…rupt…ing…huh." Tsubasa walked in and crawled up on Madison's bed. "C'mon, Tsubasa, off Maddie's bed." Tsubasa squawked angrily, then curled up on Madison's pillow. "Tsubasa…" Chip sternly replied. "Uncle Charlie doesn't feel good, and he doesn't feel like dragging you off that bed…" Tsubasa squawked again and curled up tighter.

"Looks like somebody's being a brat." Clare commented as she walked down the spiral staircase from the third floor.

"Yeah, he's being a brat. Maddie's not even here, so he shouldn't be in her room."

"Madison's still not here?" Clare asked in a confused tone. "She should be here by now. She said she was coming here for the night after she helped Xander clean up the garden…"

"I'll call Vida and see if she decided to go home instead." Chip replied.

"Hello?" Vida whispered.

"Hey Vid-"

"Could you talk softer? It's kinda late, and my dad doesn't like me getting calls this late at night…especially from guys…" Vida sounded nervous.

"Uh, sure." Chip whispered.

"Thanks. Now what do you want?" Vida's snippy tone didn't seem to be affected by the volume of her voice.

"Did Madison go home, because we haven't seen her…"

"Maddie's not there yet? Maybe she stayed at Xander's. She usually doesn't try going home this late at night…I'll ask Xander in the morning."

"Why not now?"

"He doesn't answer his calls around this time at night…I'm never sure what he's up to, but it never involves having his wand nearby."

"Maybe I shouldn't have asked." Chip replied.

"Well, let me know if she gets there, okay?"

"Are you talking to somebody, Vida?" A gruff voice called out.

"No Daddy! I'm just reading aloud! I'll quiet down!" Vida replied in an unusually sweet and meek tone, which made Chip think Madison were talking instead of Vida. "Okay, I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow." The connection closed out.

"So we wait." Clare replied, walking downstairs.

"We wait." Chip replied, walking over to Madison's bed and lying down next to Tsubasa.


	10. The Old One Two

It had only been four hours since Nick and Chip fought in the courtyard of Rootcore, and already they had decided upon meeting up again. This time, however, this meeting was friendly and peaceful.

Tsubasa walked around the field, chasing a firefly as the moon shone down on the two Magicians.

"Fine, where would you like to start?" Nick asked, transforming his cloak and street clothes into something that resembled his academy uniform without all of the regalia or the hat. Chip had changed out of his bloody clothes earlier, and into a pair of baggy dark denim jeans, a plain yellow teeshirt, a pair of rough leather boots, and a riding cape that swayed as he paced back and forth.

"Perhaps we should start at the basics." Chip said, turning his wand into a sword. "Sit." He pointed to the bench behind Nick, and Nick happily obliged. "Okay...where should I start?" Chip stood to face Nick, and he stared at him, trying to draw inspiration. "Well, first off, you certainly don't look the part of a real leader. You dress like an outsider; no Magician would respect a guy in that getup."

"This uniform is a respected uniform, I hate to tell ya."

"Not here. Stand up, I'll help you out." Chip waved his wand, and within moments, Nick's uniform was changed into a black leather uniform; a long-sleeved black tunic with a black leather chestplate, black leather belt, and leather epaulets replaced his coat and undershirt, a pair of laced-up black leather pants replaced his neat and pressed dress slacks, and his finely polished dress shoes had been replaced with black versions of Chip's boots.

"You've got to be kidding me." Nick replied.

"What? Any good leader would be more than happy to be wearing that on the field!" Chip replied.

"I'm not walking around Briarwood in this. You may be cool with it but..." Nick quickly changed into a plain red teeshirt and black lounge slacks with a pair of white sneakers. "I'm a bit more in tune with my fellow Magicians. You gotta remember that you're the only one out of the five of us that's from the other side of the forest. We're all pretty used to more informal stuff."

Chip looked down momentarily, quickly replacing his look of sorrow with one of understanding. "I'll keep that in mind." He sighed deeply, then continued onwards. "Alright, we'll skip the clothing for now. Now, if not for the looks, then a leader is best known for his attitude. I think you've got that down fine...for now."

"For now?"

"Well, we're just starting out. As we grow as a group, we need more discipline. Vigilance, constant vigilance!" Chip said, swinging his sword about. Nick laughed. "Wh-what? What are you laughing at?"

"You look so childish...you remind me of my sister's adopted kid..." Nick replied, laughing.

"Are you saying I'm childish?" Chip replied, getting hot under the collar.

"How old are you, Chip?"

"It shouldn't matter, but I turned eighteen a few months ago."

"Oh, so I was right. You're younger than me."

"How old are you?"

"I'll be twenty in a few days."

"How can you call me childish when you're not much older than me?"

"Age has nothing to do with maturity."

"You have no clue how mature I am." Chip's voice turned cold with the statement, sending a chill down Nick's spine.

"Fine. Can we just get on with this?" Nick replied, trying to avoid the subject.

"Of course." Tsubasa ran in-between the both of them, still chasing the same red firefly, squawking away. Chip waited until Tsubasa was about thirty feet away until he continued. "I suppose that if you've got the looks and the discipline, the only thing left is a bite to back up your bark."

"I can fight with magic, and I have a black belt in karate. Do I really need to know how to use a sword?"

"The sword is the traditional weapon of every leader to have ever led an army. To wield a sword in combat effectively speaks of your dedication to both your cause and your team. It is why I learned to properly fight with a sword, and it is why you must learn how to as well."

"Fine. We can do a few quick moves today, but nothing too much. Remember, I'm still sore."

"A true leader wouldn't care about restrictions." Chip said with a wink as Nick changed his wand into a sword. Nick took the first swing and tried to connect with a diagonal slash, but Chip quickly dodged it. "Wow, what was that?"

"I'm trying to hit you."

"You're swinging the sword all wrong. You're swinging it like a Stickball stick!" Chip drove the tip of his sword into the ground and walked over to Nick. "Here, your feet are in the wrong positions..." Chip kicked his feet into the proper positions while holding his shoulders down to steady him. "and you should only have one hand on the sword..." He then removed Nick's left hand from the sword. "and you swung at me wrong. You should try aiming for my sword arm first instead of my chest."

"Okay then, how should I swing, Mr. Expert?" Nick asked slyly.

"Don't mock me, or I won't help you."

"You have no choice. This is your punishment, remember?"

Chip frowned and glared for a moment, then looked down at Nick's arm. "Here, your arm is tilted wrong..."

Meanwhile, far away in a secluded place, Madison was slowly waking up. Her eyes immediately soaked up the candle light and began to focus on the few places where the light resided. In one of those places stood Estrangalan, staring at her with his dead eyes. The first thing Madison realized as she came into full consciousness was the fact that she was completely wrapped up in the bandage whips, which were then bound to the walls at various points.

"Welcome to my chamber, Blue Magician." Estrangalan said in his clear voice. "It will be the last place you will ever see." He laughed lightly and turned his back to her. "For now, relax and rest. Save your strength, for it will be fleeting as time passes, and soon you will be dead."

"Let me go." Madison replied.

"Oh, but I can't do that!" Estrangalan replied. "My Master would be disappointed if your life did not end within His realm!" He replied, spreading his arms out to illustrate the vastness of the Master's domain.

"Realm...? Where am I?"

"My dear, you are in Infershia! You are in my realm of existence, the Land of Eternal Torture. Many have been here, but only four have ever left breathing. Of course, they weren't breathing for long..." He cackled.

"Four...?" Madison asked weakly, trying to think. She was too hungry to do so, however.

"Dear, relax, death shall come to you slowly. For every moment that ticks away-" He pointed to an hourglass that was slowly pouring, grain by grain, "a bit of your life is drained away in my web. Once the sand runs out, so shall your life." He then walked up to Madison and smiled. Of course, she couldn't tell, as his mouth was wrapped up in leather, but she could tell that he was happy. "It's a pity, because there are very few women in Infershia...you would make a beautiful addition..." He ran a finger down her jawline seductively, causing her to writhe and cringe.

Estrangalan stepped back, seemingly depressed by Madison's reaction. "What's wrong, dear? Am I not dressed for the occasion?" Madison squirmed a bit, which gave Estrangalan the impression that he was correct. "What a horrible host I am, scaring my guest…"

"Guest?"

"Why yes, dear. You may be here to die, but I wouldn't be so famous for such elaborately convenient death, now would I?" He laughed lightly. "If it would make you feel more at home, I can change my outer appearance to be more suitable and comforting to you…though I only have those I have…physically encountered…to choose from…I'm sure I'll find a better form with which to calm you with…"

"You can dress in the finest sheep's wool, but you're still a wolf inside."

"Harsh words, girl…but I shall still make an effort to please your senses…hm...which guise would make you comfortable…?" He stared at Madison questioningly for a few moments, then snapped his fingers on his right hand. The pain from the male Blue Magician's attack stung his wrist for a moment, and he cringed, but he shook it off. "Mmm, I know, I know which one...Uuza Megaro."

He stood at attention, then wrapped one arm around his waist and another to guard his face while his bandages expanded away from his body. After a few moments, the bandages disintegrated, leaving behind a human form. He may have been wearing prisoner's rags now, but the face was all too familiar.

Madison gasped. "Chip…"

Estrangalan gave her a puzzled look. "Chip?" He asked, in a tone nearly matching Chip's voice. "Is that his name…?"

"You don't know his name…?"

Estrangalan summoned a chair with a Dark Magic Circle, then sat down in front of Madison. He looked all too comfortable in his borrowed form as he lounged, legs open, sprawled out like he owned the place. "My dear, there's much I don't know…would you care to enlighten me?"

Back at Rootcore, the night had engulfed the forest, and the best lights for the night were the fireflies. Nick and Chip took advantage of the ¾ moon and decided to not start any fires or use any magic lights. Tsubasa flapped his wings gently, mimicking the bugs that flew around him, as Nick and Chip continued to spar.

"Nice job, Nick!" Chip commented as Nick successfully knocked the sword from Chip's hand. "Now, what would you do while I'm momentarily stunned?"

"Hm, I could go for an elbow lock, a jab to the back, or a returning cut to the abdomen."

"Which one will you choose?"

"The easiest one, the jab to the back!"

"No! Elbow lock, so that I can't pick up the sword."

"Oh, yeah…"

"So, hit me for the elbow lock, but don't deliver it so that you actually lock my elbow…"

"Okay…" Nick slammed the hilt of his sword into the back of Chip's elbow, causing Chip to wince and flinch.

"A bit too hard for practice…" Chip replied.

"Oh, head slam!" Nick replied, slamming the hilt into the back of Chip's head, which dropped him to the ground with a thud.

"Perhaps you need a break…" Chip muttered painfully.

"Maybe I do…" Nick said, changing his sword back into a wand and helping Chip up.

"C'mon, Tsubasa…inside." Chip said as Nick helped him back inside.

After a few minutes of healing up, Chip stepped in front of Nick.

"Need something?" Nick asked, putting his alchemy book down.

"Well…I have a request."

"What kind?"

"I…I would like for you to…teach me how you fight…"

"You mean teach you a little hand-to-hand work?"

"Yeah."

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to teach you a bit…I mean, this team of ours is only as strong as the weakest link…and I'd hate for you to be that link…"

Back in Infershia, Estrangalan was happy to hear the news Madison had given him.

"So, my favorite little prisoner is alive and well, and he's part of your Magician crew? This makes me delighted to hear…I had grown depressed knowing he was dead by a Magician's hand…now I get a second chance…" He laughed.

"He's a lot stronger than I am…you won't hurt him…"

"Oh, hurting him isn't what I want…I must break him." Estrangalan smiled. "He's the only one I've never broken…it hurt me to think that I never got the chance…"

"How can you say you're all pleasant and humane if you enjoy torturing poor people like Chip?"

"I never said I didn't enjoy my victim's suffering, I just said I hate any unnecessary suffering."

"I see…" Madison replied. She sighed as her stomach growled.

"Are…are you hungry?" Estrangalan asked, sitting up.

"A little…I missed dinner."

"Oh, you poor dear! You must eat!" He snapped his fingers, causing a Dark Magic Circle to appear next to him. "Arise, my dear!"

Morrigan appeared from the circle, and Estrangalan stared at her. "You aren't Vankyuria."

"Mistress Vankyuria sent me, Master Estrangalan." Morrigan replied with a bow, letting the wings on her Vankyuria costume float about.

"And what shall I call you, you worthless servant?"

"My Mistress calls me Morrigan, and it is what I answer to, Master."

"Good. Then Morrigan, make this girl a fine banquet. She is to dine until the seams nearly burst from her sides."

Morrigan looked at Madison, then back at Estrangalan. "The Yellow Magician's pet? Why are we keeping her here?"

"She is the Master's victim, as desired by his minions. And you are my minion, as you are my trusted friend's servant, and you will not question my orders."

"Yes, Master." She pointed at the floor. "Uuza Mejira." The Dark Magic Circle opened up below her, and she sank down into it. As it closed up behind her, Estrangalan got up and walked over to Madison.

"It seems as though we have new help around here…you can join her whenever you want…" He grabbed her hand gently, and a shiver ran up Madison's spine due to the coldness of his touch. "Of course…you could work for me…Vankyuria is not the only one permitted to have servants…"

"You can take your offer elsewhere." Madison replied.

"Suit yourself, dear." He tossed her hand away. "Now tell me," He said as he turned his back on Madison. "I am a creature of stories. I love a good tale. I want to know some things about you…what you know about my favorite little subject…my dear little, unbroken Chip…"

"Why should I?"

"Because I could easily break that hourglass and kill you now."

Madison sighed and looked down. "Fine…what do you want to know?"

"All that you know…not just that he's alive…but every little detail. I want to know how he's doing outside my realm…"

Back at Rootcore, Chip had ditched his cape while fist fighting Nick. Nick threw a strong cross shot at Chip, and Chip blocked it by throwing up his arms in a cover-up position, shifting around the blow and deflecting most of the blow's power.

"Nice block!" Nick commented. "Record time for learning, I gotta say. Only an hour and a half, and you've gotten a bit of reflex going…" Nick nodded happily as Chip dropped his guard. "Now, time for you to do a little offense. I want you to spring the old one-two on me once you determine that I'm open, got it?"

"Right." Chip replied. Nick then got into a bounce, and Chip started watching Nick bob and weave, looking for the right time to strike.

Nick took a wrong step to the left, and Chip saw his chance. He unloaded a jab at Nick, which Nick dodged, and then Chip threw an unusually heavy cross, catching Nick in the face just as he leaned back. Nick stumbled back a bit and spit a bit before looking up and smiling. "Nice one, but can you handle it if I'm fighting back?"

"Huh?" Before Chip realized what was going on, Nick had thrown a right hook at him, which connected with Chip's jaw. Chip spun about, and almost didn't catch his footing. "Whoa, wait!" Chip threw up his guard and began to slip by the next few jabs. However, his guard quickly dropped as Tsubasa shrieked from inside, and Nick caught him with a jab to the stomach, followed by an uppercut.

"I'm disappointed." Nick replied as Chip fell on his back. "You can't let outside things distract ya. However, you did well. I'm done for the night; you should hit the hay too."

"Okay." Chip replied as he got up.

"Tomorrow, it's back to sword lessons for us, got it?"

"Got it." Tsubasa shrieked again. "I'm coming!" Chip shouted as he grabbed his cape and ran in.

"That bird's got him whipped…" Nick muttered to himself.

Back down in Infershia, Estrangalan was upset by the news Madison had given him. "So he has given all of you the silent treatment as well…? This is sad to know…"

"I'm glad to know he does it all along the board…" Madison replied, only half-heartedly meaning what she said.

"I guess he isn't adjusting to the mortal realm…he's still here…how disheartening…" He looked up at Madison. "I suppose I really did break him, in a sense…"

A Dark Magic Circle opened up next to Estrangalan, and Morrigan arrived with a basket of fruits.

"This is a meal?" He asked her, pointing at the basket.

"Mistress Vankyuria has confided in me that this girl is a vegetarian; is my Mistress right?"

"She is." Madison replied.

"I guessed that you'd be hungry for fruits, but I could easily get some vegetables if you wish…"

"No, fruits are fine…"

"Good!" Estrangalan said, clasping his hands and smiling. Madison found the smile to be awkward, as she had never seen Chip with a truly happy smile plastered on his face. Estrangalan then turned to face Morrigan. "Now, feed the poor guest."

"…Feed…her…?" Morrigan asked, disgusted. "I'm not her servant!"

Estrangalan backhanded Morrigan with a glare on his face. "You are MY SERVANT as long as you are here, you peon! When I tell you to feed our guest, you are to FEED HER!"

Morrigan stood crouched, holding her cheek. He had left a small spider web of cracks at the point of impact that couldn't be fixed. She looked up and showed off her damage, and Madison stared.

"It's…a mask?"

Morrigan walked up to Madison in an abhorrent manner and took an apple from the basket.

"Here, eat." Morrigan harshly muttered, nearly stuffing the apple into her mouth.

"You wear a mask…?" Madison asked after she chewed the first bite of apple.

"Yes, I took a great deal of time to make this mask…it's cracked now…" She whimpered while feeding Madison another bite of the apple.

"Why do you wear it…?" Madison asked, taking a few bites.

"I bear my mistress's likeness because my face means nothing, and hers means everything."

"So your life is meaningless…?" Madison said, taking a big bite.

"My life is to serve my mistress."

"What a boring life…" Madison said as she finished off the apple.

"My life is fulfilling…it is not always filled with adventures, but it is filled with the joy that my mistress is happy with my devoted work." She reached back in the basket. "Are you still hungry?" She asked flatly.

"A little."

"Want a pear this time?" Morrigan asked in the same flat tone.

"Sure." As Morrigan reached down into the basket, Madison noticed a shimmer of gold. "Nice chain. It looks hand-crafted."

"It belongs to a corpse." She replied. "It had no use for it anyways."

"It must have meant a lot to them. It should have been buried with the body."

"There was nothing left to bury." Morrigan snippingly replied, offering up the pear.

"I see…" Madison replied, taking a bite of the pear.

"Miss Blue, if you'd like, I would like to give you a beautiful tale of your dear silent friend that brings me joy while you dine."

"I guess." Madison replied.

"Then tell I shall." Estrangalan sat down in his chair, once more sprawled out along it, and grinned. "The one you call Chip Thorn came into my presence many years ago…six years, I believe…" Morrigan sighed happily at the line. "He was but a boy, but his courage and determination to prevent the suffering of others is much more than any of the others with him combined. I sometimes wondered if the boy existed only on magic alone…" Estrangalan pensively looked up at the ceiling for a moment, as if conjuring up memories, then looked back over at Madison.

"He was still so young, but he had an iron will. He would not even give his name, and all the information Vankyuria and I got about him came from the three who were with him."

"His parents and his sister." Madison replied.

"Yes, them. They were, though, almost as hard to break as little Chip. Oh, but they fell after a few months of starvation and torture…" Morrigan laughed softly at his remark. "The only time I came close to breaking him was when I assumed the form of his sister…"

"Oh, this story must be good…" Morrigan said, stopping from her feeding of Madison just as Madison lurched out for a bite. "Do go into detail, please."

"Oh, I wanted to anyways. It's such a great tale!" Estrangalan replied, his voice suddenly elevating with joy. "Oh, it was about a year ago, yes…on his birthday, I remember his sister saying something about how she wanted to give him a gift…she had made him this…trinket…I believe it was a small trinket of sorts…I forget. But anyways, I stole it from her, and wrapped it up ever so delicately. Then, I decided upon visiting him myself while they were being tortured that day…I postponed his daily torture until later in the day…I believe it was a day where he gave up on his fasting…yes, it was, because I brought him an apple as well…"

"You'd think he'd be rail thin with all that fasting…you'd think he'd be tinier than Ghandi!"

"Ha, Ghandi…a fool, he was. He made his own robes, though. Very honorable life, but a wasted one…" Estrangalan laughed softly, then continued with his story.

"Yes, it was a moment I would not care to forget. I had never seen a smile pass his lips, not one flicker of his voice, but as soon as he saw me in the guise of his sister, his eyes lit up like bright sparks, and this overwhelming joy seemed to course through him. Vankyuria was watching from the shadows, and she told me that it was a warming sight. Vankyuria seems to revel in joyful moments once in a while, doesn't she Morrigan?"

"She is a creature who enjoys a cheerful moment every once in a while. Vampires are not full demons, of course…"

"Indeed. Ah, but the moment. He embraced me tightly and called out her name. 'Icaryia, you're okay.', he said. His voice was so soft from disuse, but it was filled with this strength he hadn't shown before…it was an interesting moment." Morrigan was looking away as he spoke, as if she were in her own train of thought.

"So you enjoyed it…?" Madison asked as she swallowed down yet another bite of pear.

"Oh, I enjoyed drawing and quartering the smile straight out of him more while he refused to give us any information much more than giving him the smile. I just find it to be one of those unforgettable moments."

"I see." Madison said as she finished off the pair. Morrigan went to fish out a bundle of grapes, but Madison spoke up. "I'm not hungry anymore."

"So soon?"

Madison glared at Estrangalan. "I've lost my appetite."

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear…" Estrangalan snapped the fingers on his left hand, which summoned the bandages around Madison to tighten. "Maybe perhaps sleeping would be better for you…?" Madison winced, and Morrigan saw it as her cue to leave. Estrangalan grabbed her by the arm. "Your earlier insolence will pass by Vankyuria's ears, I assure you."

"And what will she do about it? Get rid of me? I doubt it." Morrigan replied, huffing and opening up a Dark Magic Circle beneath her to leave.

The sun wasn't even up yet in the Rocca cottage when Vida's door flung open. Vida shot out of bed, finding that she crashed while still in yesterday's clothes.

"Where is Madison?" Mr. Rocca shouted.

"Hey daddy…" Vida said, rubbing her eyes and yawning, before stretching.

"Where is your sister?" He shouted once more, obviously suffering from a hangover.

"Madison…she said she was gonna be over at Xander's house…he's not up, but I could go over there and check up on her…"

"Get to it!"

"After a shower, please?"

"Now!"

"Yes, daddy…" Vida replied sleepily, magically changing her clothes and grabbing her broom, nearly tripping over various books and bottles as she made her way out.

She got nearly thirty feet in the air and thirty feet away from the house before she even considered calling Xander. She knew he was never up this early, but she had to try.

"Xander…? Xander…?"

Xander's eyes weakly opened to a sea of black, as he realized that he had fallen asleep reading in the backyard again. He went to pull his shirt off, since he was baking on the marble plates below him, only to find that he had already done so. "Step One's already done…" He muttered as he sat up, yawned, stretched, and let his herbology book fall into his lap. His wand sat next to him, and he picked it up, as he ruffled his hair a bit.

"Hey Vi…it's really early in the morning…"

"I'm sorry, I know…is Maddie still there?"

"Nope, she left for Rootcore last night. Why, hasn't she called you?"

"No…"

"That's unlike her. I was gonna take her and everything, but she insisted against that, too…" Xander replied in an unusually concerned tone.

"Something's not right." Vida replied.

"I'll call Clare. You try the bakery…you know how she likes to tidy up before the shop officially opens…"

"Got it." Vida said, cutting off the call and sailing upwards towards the clouds.

Vida flew down to the store to find it empty. "Maddie…where are you…?" She said, fidgeting with the broom. Suddenly, an arrow flew through the air and struck her broom up near the top, just centimeters above her fingers.

"What the…?" Vida looked to see the fluttering of a cape diving into the alleyway a few buildings away. "…Chip?" Vida muttered as she snapped the arrow in two before mounting and zooming off towards the alley.

She followed the fluttering cape for nearly three whole minutes until the cape seemed to disappear along with its owner. "Hello…?" Vida called out as she stopped and touched down.

She saw the cape once more, and saw that there was a cloud embroidered on the cape, just like Esen's blanket. "Esen?" Vida said as she followed the blanket-cape once more. A turn around the bend revealed Esen and Taliesin standing with their backs turned to Vida. Taliesin quickly wrapped his bow around his body, and Esen began to untie her cape.

"Esen…? What's goi-" Esen pulled Taliesin close, then whipped her blanket around the both of them, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished. "Huh…?" Vida looked ahead of where they stood, and they had been standing in front of Madison's trident. "Maddie…" Vida ran over to the trident and pulled it out of the ground, bandage whip piece and all. "Maddie…" Vida repeated as she teared up.

"I wonder if he'll give us a cookie now…" Esen commented from the rooftop above.

"I worry less about the cookie, and more about her sister." Taliesin replied, walking away.

"Wait for me!" Esen replied.

Xander arrived at Rootcore as the sun rose. Chip was up and running already, brewing a potion while reading from the beginner's potion book next to him. Nick was swinging his sword about as Chip had taught him the night before, and Clare was polishing Udonna's Snow Staff mindlessly, looking like she was somewhere else in thought.

"Is Madison here?" Xander ran in asking.

Chip looked up while still stirring, and gave him a look. "I thought she was at your house still."

"I thought she was going home." Nick added, throwing in a sharp jab that pierced through an apple in the fruit bowl nearby, which he brought up to take a bite out of.

"I saw her in a dream…" Clare softly replied in monotone, not stopping from her current task. "She drowned."

"In real life?" Xander asked, shocked.

"No, but I don't think she's safe, at the very least." She replied in the same tone.

"Well, try calling her." Nick replied.

"Yeah," Chip added. "didn't you think of that before?"

"No…" Xander replied, feeling quite sheepish.

"GUYS!" Vida shouted, flying in with Madison's trident tightly in her grasp and tears streaming down her face. She expertly stopped on a dime and fell off her broom, collapsing in a tearful heap. "Guys…she's gone…"

"What happened?" Nick said, changing his sword back into a wand was walking over to her. Xander followed Nick over to her side and helped Vida to her seat at the table.

"I went to the bakery, and Esen and her little archer friend led me on this wild goose chase…"

"You've met Esen and Taliesin?" Xander asked.

"They led you to Madison's trident?" Nick asked as well.

"Yes, and yes. Well, Taliesin, not formally…but he shot an arrow into my broom, so he's not on my good list."

Chip looked down at his Archer Brace, then abandoned his potion to walk over to Vida. As soon as he saw the bandage piece on the trident, he panicked. "What's that?" Chip said, pulling the bandage away from the trident.

"It was there when I picked it up…"

Chip looked it over, fear rising within him. "Where was the trident?"

"In a back alley Maddie and I used to take when we were little…why?"

"Were there any more of these bandages?" Chip replied, disregarding Vida's response.

"No…but the area was really wet…" Vida weakly laughed. "At least she put up a fight…"

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Nick said, sounding almost completely unsurprised.

"You should, Nick…" Chip said. "I know who she fought…and if she's still in his grasp, she'll have a hard time getting out…she may not have much time…" He bent down and stood face to face with Vida. "I want you to show me where you found this. If we're going to find Madison, we have to work fast."

"For her sake, let's go." Vida got up and wiped her tears away, walking back over to her broom as Chip walked over to grab his own broom.

As they flew off, Vida looked back at Chip with a glare in her bloodshot and watery eyes. "I hope you know that I still fucking hate you."

"This isn't about friendship, it's about cooperation." Chip replied coldly. "Madison is part of our group, and we can't afford to lose another team member. Not so soon, at least." Vida zoomed ahead to avoid beating him senseless.

It took them nearly twenty minutes to arrive at the alley, and Chip immediately noticed how wet things seemed to be. He pressed his hand against a waterlogged wall for a moment as Vida circled around, hoping to find more clues.

"This wall, given the rock type, and how wet it still is….I'd say the fight happened about twelve or thirteen hours ago. As I said before, she doesn't have much time if I'm right…"

"How much time does she have left?" Vida asked.

"I'm not sure…but it can't be long…" Chip's voice was filled with despair. He looked at Vida, and Vida could tell that he had gone pale, that he was terrified. "Go back to Rootcore. I'm going to search around a bit for leads, okay?"

"But Madis-"

"Madison doesn't have the time for us to bicker! I know what I'm doing, you don't. I know this demon, you don't. You're safer in Rootcore right now…I don't think he's gonna be satisfied having just one of us."

"What about you then?"

"I'll be fine. Like I said, I know this demon. I know his tricks, I know his moves, I know his game. If anybody's safe wandering around here with the demon running about, it's me." Chip smiled weakly, but his fear was still prevalent. "Now go."

"Fine, but I want an update."

"You'll get it, trust me." With those words, Vida flew off back to Rootcore. "If I live long enough to give one…"

Vida arrived back at Rootcore twenty minutes later to find Xander and Nick listening to Clare read out of a book.

"What's so interesting?" Vida asked, setting her broom against the archway leading out to the forest.

"Clare got interested in the demon Chip was talking about…this sounds like one tough demon…" Xander replied.

"If I'm right…then this demon is dangerous…" Clare replied, turning the book around to show a picture of a mummy-like demon. "His name is Estrangalan, and he is a zombie demon of Infershia. He delights in the suffering of humans, because they once delighted in his own suffering.

"Thousands of years ago, he was a priest for Chronojiel's temple, and he slipped into insanity and began worshipping Chronojiel using Dark Magic rituals. The people in the nearby town feared him, so they wrapped him up and buried him alive. The Dark Magic overtook him, and he gave his life to serving the Master, transforming his body into a mass of living cloth bandages with a hunger for flesh and blood. He destroyed the town and was sent down to Infershia by the Saints themselves.

"During the last Great War, the Five Magicians managed to seal his mouth with heavy leather straps that he could not open to keep him from devouring any more of their allies in combat."

"Ew, gross."

"What other information do we have on this guy?" Nick asked, suddenly shifting into detective mode.

"Well, as I said, he likes to see humans suffer, so he became a master of torture over the thousands of years he's existed. He can make the bandages he's made of expand and wrap around his enemies, and he uses them to torture his victims until they're dead."

"How long does it take for him to kill his victims, typically?"

"The fastest time the writer of this book believes that it took less than a day for him to actually kill somebody, but he could drag the process out over years if he chose."

"So Madison could either be dead in a few hours, or a few years. That's not comforting at all." Nick said, crossing his arms.

"We can't rely on the thought that it'll be the latter. We have to find a way to find her, and soon." Xander replied.

"Agreed." Nick said. "Is there any way to enter his residence?"

"Only one: A Dark Magic Circle."

Vida, Xander, and Nick all looked at each other. Nick then spoke up.

"Do you think Chip knows this? I mean, if he's out looking for Maddie, do you think that'd be obvious to him to look for one?"

"I'm sure he does, unfortunately." Clare replied with a sigh.

"Unfortunately…?"

Clare sighed and slammed the book shut. "It's not my place to speak further on that matter." She sighed. "Besides, it's not like you can just find a Dark Magic Circle. You'd have to make one."

"Do you know how we can make a Dark Magic Circle?" Nick asked, breaking the train of thoughts. Xander, Clare, and Vida all glared at him. "What?"

"Dark Magic is something none of us want to use, Nick. Dark Magic…it eats away at you. It's not worth performing, nor is it worth risking your sanity over."

"We can't just sit around and wait for Maddie's time to be up!" Vida shouted. "We have to…we have to make a Dark Magic Circle and get to Maddie! We can't just let her die!"

"We should wait for somebody to open one up, then use theirs." Clare said harshly, attempting to take command.

"Then we hover around and wait." Nick said as he walked out to get his broom. Xander and Vida followed his lead, leaving Clare alone in Rootcore. She sighed and sat her book down, then walked over to the crystal ball. "Please Charlie…please be okay…"

Chip approached an open field and stared out onto the giant Dark Magic Circle that was carved into the field.

"Six years, and it's still here…" He muttered, thinking back.

"_Don't worry, little brother! My lead said that this field is the end of the trip!"_

"_We'll crush this little camp, won't we?"_

_The two hippogryphs squawked at their riders in a pleasant tone as they raced through the forest._

"_They won't know what hit them, Ica!"_

_The open field was empty as they arrived, and the hippogryphs stopped running. "Where are they all, sis…?"_

"_They're supposed to be here…" The girl on the other hippogryph looked down. "Hey, the ground…what do you suppose those markings are…?"_

"_They're familiar…" The ground lit up in shades of purple, and the hippogryphs reared, tossing their riders. Their efforts were in vain, for as soon as the outer wall of the Dark Magic Circle rose up, it became a barrier, which the two riders bounced off of and were sent sailing back towards the middle._

"_Welcome to Infershia…" A voice called out from behind them. The youngest rider looked back to find Estrangalan behind them…_

Chip clenched his fist as he marched into the center of the Dark Magic Circle. "I won't let it happen again…" He took out his wand and pointed the garuda crystal downwards. "Now…the spell…" Chip thought of Wolzard's spell long and hard, then sighed. "Okay…Uuza Ujira."

Vida, Nick, and Xander flew slowly around the town, trying to look for Dark Magic Circles, but their efforts were in vain.

"Clare, there hasn't been an attack all day! Can't we come back?" Xander whined to Clare.

"We can't give up!" Clare shouted. "Make no mistake guys, we are in danger of losing one of our own…again!" Clare sighed. A momentary pause, then Clare started up again. "…has anybody tried getting a hold of Charlie?"

"He hasn't sent anything back…we just called him about five minutes ago…"

"Whoa, holy crap!" Clare screamed as she ran over to the crystal ball. "The crystal ball just picked up a spike in dark magic…it's due east from your location!" Vida, Xander, and Nick looked to their left and saw a dark light shooting up from a clearing in the forest.

"We're going!" The trio forced their brooms to go as fast as they could, but Xander lagged behind quickly. Nick stopped to let Xander catch up.

"You need a lift, slowpoke?" Nick joked.

"Hey, my broom's only slow because I bring Maddie around, and if there's anything she fears more than a broom, it's a fast broom."

"Well, hop on, cuz we ain't got the time to wait for ya." Xander jumped in the back seat of Nick's broom and grabbed his broom before Nick caught back up with Vida.

Unfortunately, by the time they arrived the Dark Magic Circle had fallen quiet, and their lead was lost.

"DAMMIT!" Vida shouted, slamming her fist on the ground.

"This is my fault…" Xander replied.

"No, it's nobody's fault." Nick replied. He looked to his side and spotted a broom leaning against a tree. "Hey guys…" He said, walking over to the broom. "This look familiar?"

"That's Chip's broom." Vida replied. "Do you guys think…?"

"Chip's not that stupid." Nick replied. "He may be desperate, but I don't think he's that desperate."

"You were that desperate." Vida replied coldly. Nick looked down feeling a bit shameful; she was right.

Xander chimed in suddenly from his kneeling position on the ground. "I think we may be in luck, you two."

"Why's that?" Nick replied.

"This Dark Circle looks permanently etched…" Xander said, running his hand over the surface of one of the symbols.

"So all we'd need to do is activate it?" Nick replied.

"I suppose…" Xander replied.

"Oh hell no. We're not using Dark Magic. I don't care anymore." Vida replied harshly.

"Not even for Maddie…?" Xander asked in a shocked tone. He had never heard Vida talk about forsaking Madison before; the three of them had always stuck together.

"I know that there has to be another way in and out of Infershia without using Dark Magic." Vida replied, freaking out.

"Maybe there's a way to open this portal with our own magic…" Xander tried reasoning with her.

"There isn't, Xander…" Nick replied in an equally shocked tone. Vida seemed to be Madison's bodyguard in Nick's eyes, and for her to abandon Madison like she was seemed entirely out of character. "This is the only way…"

"I won't become a slave to the Darkness to save her!" Vida shouted, throwing a small fit while she began to cry. "You can go do it Nick, but I won't. People who use Dark Magic to save others will only find themselves hurting everyone and everything around them. It's all-consuming." Vida continued to cry silently, and the tears ran down her face. "You do a little Dark Magic spell just once, and you think that you won't do it again. But then you do it again. The next time, the spell's a little darker, but you figure, 'hey, the first two times didn't hurt…', so you do it. And the next spell requires an outer sacrifice, and you do it because it's just a little more than last time. So you give in, and then it's more the next time, until you're consumed by Darkness, living in shadows."

"You speak from experience…?" Nick asked.

"It was my sister." Xander replied weakly, his head hung down in an attempt to hide his own tears.

"My old friend." Vida added. "I won't let it happen to anybody else, especially if I can stop them. You, if you wanna throw your life away, be my guest."

"Oh, I'd be glad to be of service, Pink Witch." Wolzard said from behind them. The trio transformed precisely as the Wolf Blasts slammed into them, preventing them from taking a good portion of the damage. However, they were knocked back into the center of the Dark Circle. "You want a way in…? I'll send you in!"

"NO!" They shouted, trying to scramble out of the Dark Circle.

"Uuza Douza Ujira!" Wolzard said as he walked into the Dark Circle, and it drew everybody down into it before sealing back up.

All had been silent for several hours, and Chip had been attempting to recover from his hyperextension of his magic.

"Ugh…" Chip moaned as he slowly opened his eyes. His internal organs shivered as his body tried to adjust to the drastic drop in temperature. His hand languidly unwrapped from his wand and began to quake mildly as the blood rushed back into it. His body didn't want to move; he felt like the life had been sucked out of him.

"Never…never do…that…not again…" Chip mumbled, drool oozing out of his mouth like molasses as he attempted to form a coherent sentence to himself. His wand hand desperately clenched onto his wand again, hoping to draw some sort of regenerating force from it.

"Po…potion…need…pocket…c'mon…" Chip reached down torpidly into his pocket, where he had placed a spray bottle filled with a splash-impact reviving potion. He sprayed a bit into his palm, and it revived most of his hand. He then began reviving his arm, then the rest of his body. After nearly two minutes, Chip had healed himself enough to get up and move about.

"Amazing what I can make with a bit of patience, and a bit of help from one of Vida's books." Chip joked to himself. Chip slowly made note of his surroundings; he knew he wasn't far from Estrangalan's main chamber, if he remembered correctly. He made a mental note that aiming the teleport was as important as opening it, in this case. He took a few deep breaths to make sure he was prepared, then walked out into the maze of hallways.

Chip had a wonderful idea on how to find Madison. He took out his wand, pointing the garuda crystal at the ground. He closed his eyes and imagined Madison's mermaid crystal, then spoke. "Leiten Lux." Down the hallway, a bright blue light shined, making Chip smile. "Here I come…" Chip said, running down the hallway towards the light.

Meanwhile, in another section of Infershia, Nick, Vida, and Xander slowly woke up, finding that they were still morphed, yet unarmed, in a jail cell inside Wolzard's Lair.

"Great…" Vida griped. "We're weaponless and screwed."

"Well, we tried." Nick said, throwing his arms up in the air. "At least now I know what it's like to be behind bars…" He sighed.

"Are you planning to give up?" A voice from afar spoke up.

"Who's there?" Nick asked, sitting up and crossing his legs. The area they were in was dark, and they couldn't see the other cells, let alone the person that was talking to them.

"Don't any of you still retain your courage…?" The voice replied.

"I'm courageous!" Vida replied, lunging out at the iron bars.

"There's three of you; haven't any of you tried escaping?"

"We just woke up…" Xander replied, trying to scratch the back of his head. However, his helmet prevented him from doing so.

"Well, you can't give up now, can you? You appear to be the Mystic Warriors of Legend, yet you're giving up?"

"You're right!" Xander replied. "But…we don't have any weapons."

"A Magician is a weapon on their own."

"Hmmm…" Xander mused. "Majiine." Xander's suit shattered and scattered about in thousands of bright lights resembling leaf-shaped fireflies.

"Hey, what'd you do that for?" Vida asked.

"Well, our ability to use regular magic is stunted by our uniforms. We can only have spells that correspond to the ten Ancient Words."

"How'd you figure that one out?" Nick asked, turning around.

"Trust me, I tried." He replied flatly.

"So, what's your plan?" Vida asked.

"Well, we're surrounded by rock, aren't we? This is my element! I could do pretty much anything here!" Xander rubbed his palms together like a greedy kid in a candy store. "Now…if I could remember the spell, I could find out where our wands are by using our surroundings to our advantage." Xander took a deep breath, pondering the spell he had in mind. "Okay…hm…" Xander closed his eyes and set his hands open against the floor, palms down. "Okay…Mignynai Rocca!" The spell didn't seem to have any effect until a second later, when a quarter inch of both Xander's hands and legs sunk into the ground below him. He panicked, stopping himself from sinking farther in. "Okay, that wasn't the right spell…"

"Nice going, Xander. Now you're stuck in the floor." Vida scolded.

"Hey! Like you've never made a mistake before!"

"At least I never stuck myself partially into the floor!"

"Hey, leave him be." Nick said, holding a hand up to Vida's helmet. "Let him try and get the spell right."

"Yeah, back off." Xander snapped. "Okay, I think I have the spell right this time." Xander closed his eyes once more and concentrated on the mental image of his, Nick's, and Vida's wands. "Ferren Rocca." A rumbling was heard from close by, then the ground in front of Xander bubbled up and opened, revealing the three wands.

"Wow!" Vida said, placing her hands against her helmet in shock.

"Awesome!" Nick said, giving Xander a thumb's up.

"Take your wands and look around, guys. I'll…get myself out of this somehow." Nick and Vida nodded, grabbed their wands, and left after Nick alchemed the rock bars into a malleable rubber. Unfortunately, the bars changed back as soon as Nick got out of range.

"Now…" Xander sighed. "how to reverse this spell…" He began to think long and hard about the reversal. "Hrm…let's try this one…Endosmos Rocca!" As soon as the words passed his lips, the rock around him seemed to come alive, creeping up his arms at a rapid pace. "Okay, that's not right either…oh, bother."

Nai and Mae were walking happily around Wolzard's wing of Infershia, humming a tune, when they heard Xander panicking. He was truly terrified; they could smell the sweat dripping off him, the blood rushing through his veins.

"Wolzard has a new pet?" Nai questioned, making her way to the cell where Xander was.

"New pet?" Mae mimicked. Nai and Mae had to hold back their laughter as they saw the sight within the cell; Xander was in a kneeling position, hunched over with his back facing the ceiling, with the rock around him covering all but a small portion of his back and all of his neck and head.

"Oh, it's really funny, isn't it?" Xander replied as the rock claimed the rest of his back.

"Yes!" Nai and Mae laughed.

"Oh!" He said as the rock spread upwards. "Endosmos Nix!" The rock stopped just as the spell had finished enveloping his neck. Unfortunately, it hadn't dropped the spell entirely, and he was still stuck in the ground.

"Now you're just stuck there, aren't you?" Nai taunted.

"Aren't you?"

"Bugger off, woncha?" Xander found it unusual that he could still talk, despite his throat being entirely encased in rock. He got a brilliant idea, and he grinned.

"A tough talker, even when between a rock and a hard place…" Nai commented.

"More like inside a rock!" Mae joked. The two then laughed.

"Endosmos Rocca…" Xander whispered, letting the spell finish as he closed his eyes. After a moment, his body grew cold, and he opened his eyes. "Mignynai Nix." His body became expelled from the ground, and he stood up, completely engulfed in a flexible body cast of rock.

"Oh, a trick…" Nai said in an impressed tone.

"Strong as a rock…" Mae replied in the same tone. She then flashed Nai an impressed look, which Nai mimicked.

"So, where do you think you'll go now?" Nai said, standing with her hands on her hips.

"Where will you go?" Mae said.

"Wherever I want." Xander said, grabbing his wand. "Ferren Rocca." He quickly sank into the ground, disappearing entirely.

"Oh no!" Nai and Mae shouted, grabbing the cell bars as if to make sure they weren't looking at an illusion.

"Where'd he go?" Nai asked in a worried tone.

"Looking for me?" Xander said, tapping Mae on the shoulder.

"Ack!" Mae shouted, turning around.

"How'd you do that, Midori no Mahoutsukai?" Nai asked.

"How?" Mae mirrored.

"Magic, my lovely ladies. Magic." He then embraced them both tightly, much to their chagrin, and he ran off to find Nick and Vida.

"He touched me." Nai commented, repulsed.

"Touched my pai-pais. Hentai." Mae replied in an equally repulsed tone as she brushed her chest off.

Chip followed the light emitting from Madison's wand until he found the opening in the wall from which the light was coming from. He walked in and found Madison weakly sitting on a stool, her glowing wand in hand. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and smiled.

Chip's heart nearly skipped a beat and his eyes lit up in joy to find that she was practically unharmed, and he gasped for breath as he walked over and picked her up, giving her a bear hug. "You're okay…" Chip replied, turning the spell that illuminated Madison's wand off.

"I'm glad to see you too…" Madison replied flatly. _It's like before…_

"Come on, let's go." Chip said, letting go of Madison. _She feels unusually soft…_

_Wait…_"How did you get here? How did you find me…?"

"It doesn't matter, let's just go."

"I say we stay…" Madison replied, grabbing Chip's wrist. "I say we make the most of this moment alone…" She clung to Chip arm tightly and pulled him close.

"Maddie, we're in the depths of Infershia…this isn't any time to get all emotional…" Chip replied, his voice jumping up a bit as Madison ran her hand up his thigh.

"Why not…? Who would distract us…?" Madison said, grabbing the back of Chip's head and pulling it closer to her chest.

"Well, there could be Hideacs, demons, Vankyuria, Estrangalan, Wolzard…anybody!" Chip replied, closing his eyes and trying to forget what was going on.

"I doubt it…" Madison said, picking Chip's head back up, angling his head just perfectly enough to kiss him.

_This isn't Madison…_Chip mentally mused. Just as Madison was close to kissing him, a muffled scream erupted from the other side of the room, from the shadows. Chip grimaced; he knew he was right. He shoved Madison off of him, grabbed Madison's wand, and walked towards the back of the room.

"Nobody denies me anything…" Madison said, grimacing.

"Luma Lumiere." Chip said, and the light revealed his suspicion and his fear: Madison was wrapped up to her eyes in Estrangalan's bandages, still attached to the wall.

"Did you really think I was the real deal? How stupid of you to think so!" Estrangalan mocked Chip as he reverted to his basic form, shooting out bandage whips.

"Maagi Magi Majiiro!" Chip transformed quickly and quickly changed his wand into a crossbow. He fired off two shots and took out two of the whips, but the third whip smacked Chip's hand and flung the crossbow across the room.

Chip dove for the crossbow, but Morrigan stepped on it. "You foolish Magician!" She laughed, kicking him in the face and drawing sparks of light from the damage. "Do you think I'd permit you to use your toy against my master?" Estrangalan then fired off a fresh trio of bandage whips that wrapped around Chip's cape and legs, ensnaring him.

"Now now, why would you run away from me…?" Estrangalan cackled.

"Let go!" Chip shouted, using one hand to dig into the ground and the other to try and get the bandages off of him.

"Gladly!" Estrangalan tossed Chip into a wall, making Chip's suit emit more sparks of light before letting go. Chip slid down the wall as Madison slowly calmed down. The hourglass was running out.

"It's a shame you must die, Blue Magician…" Estrangalan said as he approached her. Chip struggled to get himself back up. "It's a pity to waste your beauty…" Estrangalan mused, running a finger down her cheek.

Chip fumed at the sight. "Get your hands off of her!" She screamed, charging at Estrangalan. He tackled Estrangalan into the bandage web, smashing a few of the connections to the walls. Madison swung into a wall, which left little damage but left Madison completely petrified. "Maddie, hold on!" Chip shouted, reaching upwards to pull himself towards her using the remaining bandages.

"How dare you!" Morrigan shouted, tossing a Hawk's Eye at Chip and blasting him backwards into Madison.

Madison tried to speak, but she was still muffled. Chip graciously pulled down a few bandages, allowing her to speak. "Chip, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just relax."

"I think I will…I'm feeling tired…"

"Just don't fall asleep, okay?"

"Okay…" Madison closed her eyes as Chip desperately clawed away at the bandages around her.

"That's a work of art, you little bastard!" Estrangalan shouted, grabbing Chip by the throat and picking him up. "You should be thankful I didn't finish you off years ago!"

"You would have…done me a favor…" Chip replied, kicking about. He looked behind Estrangalan; the crossbow's tip was aimed at the two of them, though he wasn't perfectly sure how it would hit. "Jii Majika!" Chip shouted, causing the crossbow to fire on its own. The shot slammed into Estrangalan's right wrist, sending a shockwave through his body and causing him to drop Chip.

Chip dropped to his knees and coughed a little, but his recovery time was faster than Estrangalan's, and he took advantage and punched him in the stomach, sending him walking backwards into Morrigan. Chip ran for his crossbow, but Morrigan grabbed it again, this time firing it at him. "Take that!" The shots flung Chip back against the wall.

"That's it!" Chip shouted, running at the two of them. Morrigan connected two more shots, but Chip shrugged them off and continued running at them. Estrangalan got up, only to get a faceful of Chip's fist. "I've had enough of the both of you!"

"Oh, but our party's just started!" Estrangalan replied, wrapping Chip's arms up tightly. Morrigan aimed the crossbow to fire straight at his head, but as she fired, Chip swung his head away and the shot smashed another one of Estrangalan's bandages around Madison.

"Gah!" She shouted angrily. Chip focused all of his strength to ripping through the bandages, which he managed to do with ease once he focused.

"How did you do that?" Estrangalan shouted.

"I am the Yellow Magician; I strike with power and my will to destroy you is stronger than your will to crush me! I'll fight you until there is nothing left of me!" He then lunged at Estrangalan, tackling him to the ground.

The garuda crystal glowed a bright yellow and shocked Morrigan, who dropped the crossbow.

"Charlie! Charlie!" Clare's voice shouted. "Are you alive?"

"I'm fine!" He shouted back before getting tossed by Estrangalan.

"There's a new spell here…and it's written for you!"

"Really?"

"Give it a try! Jii Jii Jijiru!"

"Got it."

"Signing out." Clare replied, severing transmission.

"Okay…Jii Jii Jijiru!" The crossbow shined a bright yellow, then shattered into thousands of shining lights, which surged towards Chip's hands and surrounded them. As the lights faded, what remained were a pair of yellow boxing gloves. A silver plate graced the top of each glove, with half of the Mystic Force symbol etched on them, with the full symbol gracing the flattened area of contact on the gloves. The gloves were finished off with a black and gold band around the wrist, with a green, diamond-shaped gem placed in the center.

"What are these…?" Chip asked, looking the gloves over. "Well, I guess I gotta fight with my fists…I'll thank Nick later."

Chip pushed himself up, and Morrigan panicked. "Mistress Vankyuria summons me…I'm sorry to go, master…I'll check up on you soon!" Morrigan then summoned a Dark Circle and disappeared.

Chip charged towards Estrangalan and threw a few jabs out, missing every time.

"Fancy gloves don't make a fancy fighter, it seems." Estrangalan taunted.

"I'll show you fancy fighting!" Chip threw a soft jab, and just as Estrangalan dodged, Chip fired off a fierce cross, slamming Estrangalan in the face. His glove emitted a shockwave that threw in extra damage and singed the bandages they hit.

"Agh! That burned!" Estrangalan shouted.

The old one-two never fails!" Chip shouted, throwing another jab-cross combo, this time connecting on both shots. He then threw a bolo punch, which distracted Estrangalan long enough for Chip to throw in a devastating hook which spun Estrangalan into a corner.

"Nobody puts me in a corner!" Estrangalan shouted, shooting out a trio of bandage whips. Chip slammed his fists into each one, sending shockwaves up them and damaging Estrangalan's only other wristband. "Enough of this! Douza Meezara Zazaado!" A Dark Circle opened up, locking Chip in place. Dark magic overflowed from the Dark Circle, surging upwards and began to crush Chip. "Did you think that I was weak? That I didn't stand a chance against you and your fancy new gloves? I am a Madoushi, boy! Never underestimate me again!" Chip screamed in pain as the dark magic slowly began reeling him into the circle. "I'll see you in Oblivion!"

"Like Hell you will! Jii Maji Majika! Tornado Javelin!" Vida spun the four prongs surrounding her Fairy Crystal, creating a thin tornado that shot forwards, slamming into Estrangalan and breaking the spell placed upon Chip. Chip was ejected from the Dark Circle and forced out of transformation as he hit the ground hard and stayed down.

Nick, Vida, and Xander had now joined the fray; Vida tried to not look at her sister for the moment as she helped Chip up. "We've been looking for you everywhere, you jackass! You could've at least told us what you were doing!"

"Like you would've been about to help me anyways…" Chip replied. "How did you guys get here anyways?"

"We'll talk about it later, Maddie's counting on us right now." Nick said.

"Right." Xander replied, cutting the rest of the bandages securing Maddie to the wall with his MagiStaff Axe.

"I say we find a way out of here for Maddie's sake." Nick said.

"And leave this monster to chase us and torture another one of us? I won't let that happen!" Chip shouted, standing up.

"Goolu Lujuna Gonga!" A hidden voice shouted. A Golden Pentagram opened up beneath the Magicians, with the Magic Circle sitting amongst its lacy pattern. A golden light shimmered from deep within the Pentagram and drew them in, transporting them into the middle of Briarwood.

"Well, ask and you shall receive." Xander joked.

Chip fumed, turned around, and smashed Xander in the face, catching Madison as she fell out of Xander's grasp. "Do you understand how much danger we're in? How much danger Madison's in?" Chip gently lied her down and ripped the rest of Estrangalan's bandage whips off of her.

"Well, whoever or whatever got us out of there, we gotta be thankful. We would have been stuck down there forever otherwise." Nick commented.

"Maddie…?" Chip said, gently shaking Madison, hoping she'd wake up. He got no response. "Maddie, wake up…" He shook her a little harder. "I told you not to fall asleep…please wake up…" Chip sniffled. "C'mon, Maddie…you're a tough girl, hold on a little longer…" He then got an idea. He pulled out his Reviving Potion and smashed the bottle on the ground, He then grabbed Madison's wand and smiled. "It's no cocoa, but…" Chip smiled. "Hydrae Movrum." The potion levitated above Madison and crashed down on her, soaking into her clothes and skin.

"Is she okay?" Vida asked, kneeling down and looking over Chip's shoulder.

"I hope so." Chip replied. Madison turned her head and opened her eyes, looking straight up at first, then looking over at Chip.

"The sky…" Madison replied. "it's so blue…" Chip sniffled, then tightly hugged Madison. "Oh, Chip, you're here too!" She replied wrapping her arms around him.

"Hey! What are we, sis, chopped liver?" Vida asked, mocking an insulted tone. "Ya know, a chopped liver sandwich sounds good right about now…"

"Welcome back." Nick replied, nodding.

"Glad to see you back, Maddie." Xander replied, also nodding.

"Have I been gone long?" Madison asked, a bit confused. Chip handed Madison back her wand. "Oh, thanks."

"You two, head back to Rootcore and rest up. We'll scout around and make sure Bandage Head doesn't come back." Nick said, taking an offensive stance.

"If you wish." Chip replied, helping Madison up.

As Chip and Madison walked back to Rootcore, Madison sighed.

"Are you okay?" Chip asked, looking down at her. Chip hadn't fully noticed how short Madison was until now; her head came up just below his nose.

"I'm just thinking…" Madison replied, sounding distant.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"It's just…" Madison crossed her arms and pulled slightly away from Chip. "it's just…when I was down there…he knew more about you than I could think of…" Chip frowned and looked down.

"I can assume he didn't let up on anything." Chip commented. "I can only imagine what he told you about me."

"Why? Is there something bad about you I should know?" Madison asked in a playfully interrogative tone.

"No, no, nothing like that…" Chip replied. "I just don't want him telling you anything about me that isn't true."

"Well, if you're so worried, I'll be happy to let you know that he had nothing but good things to say about you. Mostly about how brave and silent you were." Madison smiled. "I guess some things never change." Chip tried to laugh, but the truth of her statement was a tough pill to swallow.

"Well, the less the enemy knows about you, the less he can use against you. It's a time-tested fact."

"Well, we're not your enemy, Chip." Once again, she was right.

"True…" Chip sighed. "Fine, I'll try to get along with the rest of the group. I just don't trust them as much…"

"As much…as you do me?"

"As much as I trust Clare."

"Oh."

After a moment of awkward silence, Chip smiled. "I will admit, though, that I appreciate your warm welcome, and Tsubasa has really taken to you." After another momentary pause, Chip spoke up once more. "I thank you for tolerating me."

"That's what I do." Madison replied. "I'm a peacemaker…I'm not a fighter."

"Hey now…I saw the damage you two did…the damage you did! You were really great!"

"You think…?" Madison replied, blushing.

"Yeah." Chip smiled as he remembered the astrology book. "Do you feel better, proving that without us, you won't fall apart?"

Madison blushed, feeling childish that she had gotten so upset over something so stupid. "I tried to prove a point, and I kinda failed. I got captured, and you guys had to come and rescue me." Madison stopped. "Which reminds me…how did you guys make it into Infershia?"

"Well, I don't know how the other three got in, but I have my ways…" Chip slyly grinned. "You didn't think I'd spend my entire life with my family chasing Infershia around without learning about a few of their back doors, did ya?"

"I guess you'd have to know a few, then…"

As they arrived at the forest's edge, Madison stopped again.

"Something wrong?" Chip asked.

"Why would Infershia choose now to attack…if they could have done so at any time?"

"What?"

"I mean…you said that you've been chasing Infershia your whole life…and you seem to be around my age…"

"How old are you?"

"19."

"You're a year older than me, to be honest."

"That surprises me." Madison replied. "I thought you were older."

"Go on with what you were talking about before." Chip replied, feeling awkward.

"Well, I mean…if they could leave Infershia…why would they leave now instead of just slipping out whenever they chose?"

"Hm…" Chip pondered her question as he walked a bit further. Suddenly, it hit him. "The Lunar Key…"

"Lunar Key? What's that?"

"The Key to the Gate of Infershia. That's all I can remember about it."

"Is it safe?"

"It's gone. Nobody knows where it is."

"I guess that means it's safe…"

"Unfortunately, the same can't be said for either of you!" A voice cried out as a Dark Circle opened up ahead of them. Both transformed just as Estrangalan arose from the depths of the Dark Circle.

Madison's wand shined brightly. "Oh…?"

"Madison! Good news! You have a new spell!" Clare's voice cheerily emitted from Madison's wand. "The spell is Jii Jii Jijiru…in fact, everybody's got it now!"

"Hey, that's my spell!" Chip griped.

"Perhaps this is one of those times where life's telling you something, Charlie."

"Yeah, Charlie." Madison mimicked in a mocking tone.

"Hey…" Chip replied in a mock angry tone.

"Hey, you wanna do a double team?" Madison said.

"Are you any good at fist fighting?"

"C'mon, Vida's my sister. That's the dumbest question you could ask me."

"I'll take that as a yes…"

"So let's use this spell!"

Both Madison and Chip held their MagiStaffs in their hands. "Jii Jii Jijiru!" The wands turned into the Mystic Fighting Gloves, and while Chip's gloves were yellow, Madison's were blue.

"Cute!" Madison replied.

"Less attention to cuteness and more to fighting!" Chip replied.

"Roger!" Madison replied.

"Douza Meru Zazaado!" Estrangalan shouted, holding out his left arm. A flurry of dark magic bands flew out from his bracelet. Chip and Madison threw jabs out towards the bands that came close to them, destroying them.

"That was cheap!" Chip shouted, leaping into the air. "Jii Majika! Thunder Cross!" Chip threw an unblockable cross that sent a shockwave through Estrangalan as it connected. The attack singed the contact area so badly, that it set Estrangalan on fire in the contact spot.

"Agh!" Estrangalan shouted.

"Aw, the Mummy Guy's on fire! I'll put you out! Jii Majika! Tsunami Upper!" Madison crouched down, then swung her arm upwards, creating a surge of water that became a large wave. The attack connected dousing the flames and causing horrible waterlogging damage.

"You little brats! Uuza Meru Zazaado!" He shouted, shooting off a beam of dark energy at Madison.

"Tsunami Upper!" Madison fired off yet another wave of water at the beam, letting the beam get smashed underneath the light-bending force of the water until there was nothing left of the beam to hit her. "You're all washed up!" She shouted as the wave crashed into Estrangalan, knocking him up off his feet.

Chip ran to her side. "Wanna give him a good one-two knockout?" He asked.

"He deserves nothing less." Madison replied. "Ready?"

"I've always been." They both took offensive positions, then charged at Estrangalan.

"Do you two believe I'm easily defeated? I am a Madoushi, a Dark Priest of Infershia! The Master of Torture! You are nothing but insects to me!" He fired off a few dark magic beams, but he missed on every shot.

"Jii Jinga Majika Majuna! Final Thunderstorm!" Chip ran past Madison stopped to fire off several Tsunami Uppers. As the last wave slammed into Estrangalan, Chip crouched and leaped up as high as he could. He then slammed his gloves together and extended his arm out as he fell back down. Both gloves connected with Estrangalan's chest; sending shockwaves strong enough to cease all functioning within. A moan of complete agony erupted from Estrangalan as the body crashed to the ground, lifeless and silent. A rush of dark energy rushed out of the corpse, turning what was left into sand.

"It's finally over…"

"It's over…" Nai and Mae muttered to themselves as they sat in a treetop overlooking the fight.

"I lost another friend…" Nai sighed.

"They come and go, they come and go…" Mae replied.

"Come, let us punish Morrigan for being insolent." Nai said.

"In-sol-ent!" Mae cheered as they opened up a Dark Circle and entered.


	11. Interlude: Watching, Eternally

Several hours later, the group had split up after having a small celebration over the team's victory against Estrangalan. Madison and Vida returned home and rigorously began completing chores around the house, Chip decided to spend some time with Clare and Tsubasa at Rootcore, and Nick once again took Xander's generous offer to stay over at his house.

Nick sighed; he missed his crummy old apartment with all of his little academy plaques and his crappy TV and police scanner and his blankets and all the other things that reminded him of life outside of Briarwood. He lied face down on the couch in the study, bored out of his mind.

"I miss civilization." Nick mumbled into a pillow. He then looked up, and wearily searched the room for various things. After finding a vase, a mirror, and a large box, Nick placed them all on top of a desk that sat near the couch. "Here we go…" A beam of red light surged forwards, combining all of the items together to make a makeshift TV.

"Alrighty!" Nick grinned as he transformed his wand into a remote control and hit the power button.

The first channel to pop up was the science fiction network, Cthulhu Nation. On the screen stood a terrified guy in a grey and blue uniform who was screaming as a giant man-walrus chased him down the hallway and into a corner before ripping his throat out. The camera then panned and followed the crazy abomination up a flight of stairs where it ran into a super tan woman dressed somewhat like Lara Croft. The two stared at each other wordlessly for a moment, then the beast uttered one sentence of mangled English. "Can I see your beaver?"

Nick blinked, then changed the channel.

An advertisement for a show on the Anime Channel came up; two men, running insanely down a street and hiding behind a wall.

"Damn those armor-wearing sexy vampires!"

"What did they call themselves…? Shishiranger? Tenma? Kirin? Houhouranger?" The other guy asked. Just as the second man finished his sentence, a Japanese woman with straight golden brown hair wearing a pink jacket popped up from behind a bush. "Did someone call me?"

Click.

Two men sitting at a breakfast table. An older man with a balding head of black hair stared at the younger man with a full head of orange hair as the younger nearly inhaled a bowl of cereal.

"So, are you sleeping with my daughter?" The older man asked, causing the younger male to do a spit take across the table and begin to choke.

"I, uh, need to go to the bathroom." The younger male said, dashing into the bathroom nearby.

Click.

The Comedy Channel. A girl dressed up in a butterfly costume idly hopped across the screen, while a girl dressed up like a snowflake and a guy dressed up like a brown leaf watched her run. Suddenly, the girl started screaming and pointing up at the sky.

"IT'S THE BUTTERFLY OF DOOM!" She screamed.

"Mothra?" The guy next to her screamed.

"NO! WORSE!"

"Ashton Kutcher?"

"WORSE STILL!"

"Um…George?"

"LOOK!" She turned his head to view the incoming butterfly that was smaller than either of their palms. The guy then screamed in a high-pitched tone.

"OH MY GOD, MAKE IT GO AWAY!"

The two braced for 'impact' and waited a few moments, but the butterfly seemed to leave. They opened their eyes to find that the girl in the butterfly costume had caught their adversary and was now putting him in a jar.

"DAMMIT JANET, I LOVE YOU!" The guy screamed, giving the girl a bear hug.

"You have saved all of humanity!" The snowflake girl replied joyously.

"Guys, chill out. It's just a butterfly…" The girl replied flatly.

"HAIL THE CRAB OVERLORDS!" A voice from the background shouted.

"Oh boy…" The snowflake girl commented.

Click.

A man in a heavy black leather overcoat, light blue eyes, medium-length dirty blonde hair, and wire-framed lenses sat in a booth at a diner, eyeing the plate of ketchup-slathered hash browns before looking over at the Eggs Benedict with the extra order of butter-drenched toast and the tall glass of orange juice on the side.

"I swear, if I were to walk into this diner and catch myself eating this, I wouldn't hesitate to berate my poor eating habits…but then again, I'd be too stunned to see myself in a place other than in my own body to be paying attention. Ah hell, fuck my diet." He commented, taking off his gloves and grabbing a piece of toast.

The diner door opened, revealing a man in a ski mask and a laser pistol drawn. The man in the black coat sighed as he bit down on his toast, wiped his hands on the napkin, and drew out a pistol of his own, only his wasn't loaded with laser ammunition.

"Give me all the mo-" Bang. The robber cried out in pain as blood spattered from the bullet wound to the thigh that dropped him. The man in the black coat hadn't even turned around to see where he was shooting. He quickly devoured the piece without the use of his hands, wiped his mouth clean, took a swing of orange juice, then whipped out his Patrol Badge faster than anybody else could react.

"Don't worry everybody, I'm an officer of the law." He said.

"Finally, something I can really get into." Nick said happily, turning the volume up.

"Boy, did you pick the wrong diner to rob this morning." He taunted as he walked closer.

"You shot me! You shot me with a real bullet!"

"Oh, go cry to the Carding Department about it. You do the crime, you take the punishment." He handcuffed the would-be robber and stood the guy up. "Okay, who here is from the Academy?" A young male in the back of the diner raised his hand. "Okay kid, c'mere."

The young man came rushing up to greet the man in black. "Yes, Commander, sir?"

"Who're you?"

"Cadet Mike Richards, D Squad."

"Alright, D Squaddie. Take this perp back to headquarters, and I'll pay you back for the meal you're missing."

"Yes, Commander, sir." Cadet Richards gave the Commander a salute of sorts before grabbing the man by the handcuffs and walking him out.

"Now…back to my breakfast." He grinned happily as he sat back down in his booth. The rest of the diner remained silent, which unnerved the young Commander. He stood back up. "You can all go back to eating now, everything's fine. Thank you." It was then that everything returned to normal, and the Commander sat back down. "Finally, I can eat…"

From outside the study's window Nai and Mae watched Nick enjoying the show.

"Interesting…" Nai said.

"Indeed." Mae replied.

"Why is he alone?"

"A…lone…?" Mae whimpered. She then began to cry.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mae!" Nai said, pulling out a hankie.

"That word…that word makes me sad!" Mae replied, taking the hankie and wiping her eyes with it.

"I forgot…I haven't used it in so long…"

"You know that word makes me cry!"

"I said I was sorry…"

"It's okay…" Mae blew her nose into the hankie, then handed it back to Nai.

"You keep it." Nai replied.

"You." Mae mimicked. Nai dropped it on the ground in the bush.

"I'm bored. Let's go follow the other Magicians."

"Others!" Mae said cheerily. The duo then ran off a bit before taking to the skies.

They landed at Madison and Vida's home, where the girls were outside tending to the massive garden in their backyard. Madison had her Water Light spell on, and everything glowed a beautiful blueish hue. Vida carefully arranged a row of rocks around a small pond, while Madison gently pruned a rosebush.

"They are together…" Mae happily said as they settled in a tree nearby.

"They are sisters…sisters stay close…"

"Not all of them do…" Mae replied sadly, tearing up again.

"Aw! You have me, Mae!" Nai said, pulling her other half into a warm embrace.

"But…you're all I have…"

"I will not leave ever ever. You are my favorite person."

"Really?"

"Mhm."

"You're my favorite person too, Nai!"

"Should we go watch some others, Mae?"

"We will watch them for eternity!" Mae cheerfully replied as they once again flew off.

They flew towards Rootcore and found Tsubasa and Chip down nearby, both running about as hippogryphs.

"Oh, the eggie hatched!" Mae cheerfully said.

"How wonderful. It is alive." Nai replied.

"Baby eggie birdie!" Mae said, kicking about in the air.

"He looks happy down there, the Wind Scout does."

"He's happy to be with the baby eggie birdie!"

"He isn't alone anymore."

"That word…"

"He's not, though!"

Mae continued to whimper, even with Nai's reassurance.

"We have Morrigan, silly…"

"But Morrigan…Morrigan likes to leave us…"

"I know…but it is better than nothing…"

"They all leave like the wind…" Mae said solemnly.

"Charlie!" Clare called out. Chip looked up and transformed back to his normal self before Clare reached him.

"Yeah?" Chip asked.

"I'm sorry…are you two busy?"

"I was just gonna teach him how to take off…why? What do you need of me?"

"I was gonna say that dinner's ready…"

"Oh, dinner! I'm starved!" Chip replied. "C'mon, Tsubasa! Dinnertime!"

"He gave the baby eggie birdie my name!"

Clare smiled as Chip walked inside with Tsubasa. "Finally, a man who likes my cooking…" She then scurried inside.

"We missed one!" Nai said.

"Not Midori no Mahoutsukai!" Mae shouted. "He touched my pai-pais!"

"He won't touch you this time, I promise."

"Okay." They both then flew back towards Xander's house.

They circled around the house, looking for Xander. They didn't see any sign of life until a book went flying out onto the terrace followed by a loud growl they recognized as coming from Xander.

"Uh oh…" Mae said, flying down to the roof. Nai followed her. They watched as Xander, who was wearing a long cloak with a hood, walked out onto the balcony.

"A hood…?" Nai said, confused. Mae just shrugged.

"How stupid could I possibly be? I screw every damn thing I do up!" He shouted.

"I wonder what he did…" Nai whispered.

"He must be ashamed; why else would he hide himself?" Mae whispered back. "It's too warm for that heavy black cloak…"

"Why can't I get this right?" Xander whined, flipping through the pages again. It was a wonder how he was doing so, since the sleeves completely engulfed his hands. In fact, the whole cloak itself looked two sizes too big.

"Of all the nights we've watched him…this night has been the most intriguing…" Nai whispered.

"Why is he so afraid…? I can smell his fear from here…" Mae replied.

"He always has his head in those books…so why would he get anything wrong…?" Nai replied.

"Maybe he just needs a hug." Mae replied. "I could use one."

"Aw…" Nai hugged her other half tightly once more, making the curly haired lolita vampire smile in delight.

"Augh!" Xander growled. "I give up! Majiine." A green light burst out from underneath the cloak, and Xander proceeded to go back inside.

Skrit. Skrit. Skrit. Skrit. Xander's shoes scuffed across the balcony, leaving huge dragging marks.

"I didn't know shoes made a grinding sound…" Nai said.

"I thought they scuffed happily across marble…"

Nai and Mae sighed. After a moment, Mae spoke up.

"Can we come back tomorrow?"

"That's our job, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah…" Mae replied.

Nai sighed.

"What're you thinking about, Nai-chan?"

"The place with the children…"

"All the little sad children?" Mae asked.

"All of the ones who were alone…I wonder how they are."

"I miss the one with the red blankie. Master and I liked him best."

"Master liked him so so much…" Nai added for emphasis.

"I wonder how he is…"

"I wonder if he's still out there alone…"

"Alone…the saddest word I know…" Mae said, shedding silent tears.

"They are not all alone…" Nai said.

"They will always have somebody, right?"

"Like you and me."

"Yes…like you and me…" Mae wiped away her tears and smiled.


	12. Float Like A Butterfly, Strong As A Tree

The next morning, Madison and Vida arrived at the Viner Street Bakery to find it locked and closed.

"Hm…why's Xander not here yet?" Madison said.

"Yeah, he's never late to anything, let alone as late as we are." Vida replied. "Nick's over at his house, I'll call him."

Vida took out her wand. "Parle Parfait."

"Hello?" Nick's voice rang out.

"Hey, is Xander there?" Vida asked.

"I haven't heard him come downstairs, and I've been up since four this morning. He was slamming about last night in there, but then he finally crashed around midnight…literally."

"Literally?" Madison asked. Xander was very personal with the things he owned, especially the things in his room. The news that he broke anything belonging to him sounded unusual.

"Yeah. Something sounded like it broke apart up there…maybe a chair or something larger."

"I hope he's okay…" Vida replied.

"I'll go check on him now, if that makes you two feel better."

"Maybe we should come over, too."

"No, I got it all under control." Nick replied. "Russell, signing out."

"You gotta love that." Vida replied, sliding her wand pack into her apron's pocket.

"So…we go home?" Madison asked.

"Let's go check up on Clare. She's probably strangled Mr. Mysterian and his overgrown Chocobo by now."

"Vi…" Madison scolded.

"Maddie…" Vida replied in the same tone.

"C'mon, sis, let's go." Vida said, marching into the forest.

"Can't you two just…pretend…to be nice? You know, for the sake of being part of a team?" Madison began asking as she followed her unusually angry sister to Rootcore.

Nick walked up the staircase that led to Xander's room after his third try at a staircase. Xander's house looked small from the outside, but it almost seemed like it was, at the very least, three times larger on the inside.

"Xander…?" Nick called out. No response. He then spotted a small girl standing outside his door like a sentry.

"Who are you?" Nick asked.

"Master Xander requests that I guard the door to his chambers." Acantha said.

"I just came to see if he's okay. Is he?"

"He said something about a mold…or was it a cold? I'm not sure…he was mumbling through the door."

"So he's sick?"

"He is not in peak physical health, I assume. He said he was going to rest…he's trudging around heavily, as well…dragging his feet around quite loudly."

"I see. Well, thanks…I didn't catch your name."

"I am called Acantha, Red Magician."

"How'd you…?" He then realized he was wearing his red trimmed cloak. "Oh, heh. Okay then. Thanks, Acantha."

"Anything for a friend of my master's."

"…Yeah." Nick walked downstairs as he pulled his wand out of his cloak pocket.

Madison and Vida arrived at Rootcore to find Chip outside with a cloak and civilian clothes on, running with his arms spread out.

"C'mon, Tsubasa! Keep it up!" He shouted at the sky.

"Teaching the chicken to fly, eh?" Vida commented. Chip flashed her a menacing look.

"I'm teaching it to catch things mid-flight next. Care to help with the stationary targets?"

"Alright you two…" Madison said, pushing Vida inside.

"Hey you two!" Clare said happily as the Rocca girls walked in.

"Can you keep Vida inside?" Madison asked.

"Why? Are you going out to make kissy faces with Bird Boy?" Vida snapped back.

"Vida, grow up." Madison replied.

"I'm taking that as a yes!" Vida replied as Clare grabbed Vida by the shoulders and sat her down in her chair.

Madison walked out to greet Chip. "Hey."

"Hey Maddie. How're you feeling today?"

"I'm okay. Woke up slowly today, took appreciation in waking up."

"I know the feeling for once." Chip joked. Tsubasa descended from the sky and landed next to Madison. For a newborn, he already came up to her knee.

"They grow so fast…"

"If he weren't so coddled in a sheltering environment, he'd have to fend on his own by now. If he hadn't learned any good skills, he'd be left to die…" Chip replied, sounding like he was reciting his words. "It's just how life is in the wild for everything. Survive, or disappear."

"I see…"

"But he's got a loving family here…"

"Yeah."

They both smiled lightly, and Tsubasa lightly squawked.

"Madison?" Nick called out from Madison's wand.

"Yeah?" Madison asked as she pulled her wand out.

"I went upstairs…Xander apparently has a doorgirl, now…"

"I'm not surprised." Madison joked. "So, what's the situation?"

"Xander's got a mold, cold, anemia, or something along those lines. He's supposedly not feeling well, and is sleeping to the best of my knowledge."

"That is unfortunate." Chip replied. "Should I mix him up a potion?"

"Hey Chip, and no, I don't think so. I don't think he wants to be bothered."

"Xander's never sick…it kind of explains why he's upset."

"Maybe he's delirious with fever." Nick commented.

"Well, he could be upset that he got sick. I mean, we were down in Infershia…who knows what's down there for us to get sick from?"

"The only thing I could imagine anybody getting from Infershia is a headache." Chip joked. Madison frowned, and Nick failed to respond. "…Sorry about that."

"Well, I'll stay here and watch the house for you guys. I'll immediately inform you of anything that happens."

"Okay then. Take care, Nick."

"You too, Maddie. Russell, out."

"Vida's right, that's kinda catchy." Madison said as she slipped her wand back into her pocket.

"Have we nothing to do, Nai-chan?" Mae griped as she sat on Xander's roof next to her other half. They had been waiting to see Xander again, to see another outburst.

"Shush! This was your idea." Nai replied.

"My idea?"

"Your idea."

Nai and Mae sighed; Xander hadn't moved at all. They couldn't even smell his blood anymore.

"Do you think he's…dead?" Mae asked.

"No, I feel life in his room…it's his life force, alright."

"Is it strong?" Mae asked.

"Stronger than normal…" Nai replied. "It wasn't this strong last night…"

"Maybe he's gotten too strong?"

Nai pondered this for a moment while making a thinking sound. "Hmm. Well, if he's too strong, then maybe rest wouldn't be the best thing for him…I mean, rest only makes humans stronger."

"Maybe it's not physical strength…maybe he conjured up a bit too much magic…humans do have a limit on how much magic they can use before they can burn out…"

"Maybe…" Nai found this whole predicament to be perplexing; if he were too tired from magic overuse, then he wouldn't have had enough strength to saunter out onto the balcony, let alone enough power to toss things around, however, if he was too strong, then how would laying down and not depleting the excess magic make him better? Nai frowned; nothing seemed to be right.

"Oh, I hear movement!" Mae said, crouching down.

"Master Xander, you are not well! Please lay down!" Acantha shouted as Xander trudged his way across the balcony. He was still wearing the heavy black cloak, and this time he was carrying his broom.

"Master…?" Mae blinked.

"Master…" Nai snorted at the thought that a Magician of any color had any sort of servant.

"Acantha, I'll be fine. I just need some air." Xander replied. "Levia." He dropped the broom and it stopped moving in mid-air. He climbed on it, letting it nearly hit the ground before adjusted to Xander's sudden drop on top of it. "Movrum." The broom slowly took off and flew towards the forest.

"Should we follow?" Mae asked.

"We follow." Nai said.

"Follow, follow!" Mae replied as the two formed Vankyuria and flew off in pursuit.

Xander found himself flying out towards the forest, but away from Rootcore. He didn't feel like being around anybody, not now at least.

"Somehow, I'll be fine…" He softly reassured himself as he flew towards a remote section of the forest.

"Why's he out there…?" Vankyuria mused aloud as she continued flying.

Vida sighed; she was being forced to stay inside because Chip and Madison were outside.

"How come they get to run the show around here?" Vida complained as Clare walked by.

"Well, for now, Rootcore belongs to Charlie since he is the closest living relative to Udonna. I am but a maid, so I don't really have any say other than enforcing whatever rules he sets."

"So you just take his crap?"

"He's not very bossy; he mostly spends his time practicing potion making or reading books. He's intent on being a good Magician, like he's always been."

"…Always?" Vida blinked.

"Yeah, Charlie and I go way back to when we were kids." Clare blushed as she began dusting off the dais. "Udonna took me in when I was little; I was an orphan, and I guess Udonna saw potential in me. Not like I understand what she ever saw in me, I mean…I'm not as smart or capable as she ever made me out to be."

"You're smart and capable!" Vida replied.

"You think?" Clare blushed.

"I mean, you knew Nick was the Red Magician, right?"

"Well, yeah…" Clare smiled.

"And you're very useful to us…we wouldn't have anybody to tell us about our new spells without you!"

"I guess you're right…"

"So ha, you're wrong. You're very useful."

"I can't outsmart you, Vida." Clare replied sarcastically.

"So, what's this about Chip being related to Udonna?" Vida said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Well, they're not of any blood relation, really."

"Oh?"

"The Thorns are old friends of Udonna's, so when Charlie was born, they wanted Udonna to be his godmother, and she was more than happy to accept. At least, that's the story I heard from his older sister."

"Oh."

"But yeah, Udonna's treated Charlie sort of like a son whenever he visited Rootcore…I can imagine that she'd want him to take over the place since…well, she doesn't have any blood relatives to take care of the place…" Clare hesitated from prying further.

"Did Udonna never get married or anything?"

"…I'd rather not-"

"Clare, c'mon, yes or no?"

"That's not my pla-"

"I'll take it as a yes, then."

"I never said yes!"

"Then tell me otherwise."

"…I don't have to tell you anything."

"Ha! She was married." Vida laughed. Clare sighed and slammed down the feather duster.

"Fine, you want me to be a rude person? Yes, she was married, and she even had a son. Her husband died and her son disappeared. There, are you happy?" Clare teared up and stormed up to her room.

"Udonna…was a widow…?" Vida commented softly. She stood there for a moment, then sighed. "I can see why it's hard to talk about it…" Vida then grabbed her broom and walked out.

"Hey Vida, whe-" Madison began.

"I'm going for a ride. Don't mother me." She snapped back before wordlessly levitating her broom, leaping on, and taking off.

"Boy, she treats everybody with kindness, doesn't she?" Chip asked.

"Something's bothering her. She's nice to me most of the time…" Madison replied.

Xander found himself slowly flying down towards the jagged mountains that made up the true barrier between Mysteria and the mortal realm, slowly contemplating taking up refuge there for a while. Suddenly, a quick movement caught his eye, and he stopped the broom.

"Huh?" Xander said as he looked down. More movements, faster, almost like…"Is there a swarm…?" Xander said as he quickly dropped down to touch the treetops.

Dozens of axetips and spears could be seen, and one led them all: Morrigan.

"That little bitch…" He looked towards his wand, but then swallowed hard. "…No. I'll do this without them. There's not that many…" He decided not to count the small sea beneath him.

He zoomed out in front of the group and waited in an open clearing, ditching his broom to protect it. He pulled his cloak close to him, pulled his hood farther over. He was going to fight anonymously…as anonymously as he could.

Morrigan seemed shocked to see a lone Magician waiting for her. "Oh, what do we have here…?" She mockingly called out, letting roughly two dozen Hideacs step in front of her.

"I won't let you pass." Xander replied.

"Aren't you a brave little Magician…?" Morrigan taunted.

"Faith and Bravery are all I need." Xander grinned. His brace grew warm; it was the first bit of warmth he had felt in a while.

"I'll let it be your funeral then." Morrigan cackled. "GET HIM!" With a wave of her arm, the two dozen Hideacs charged.

Vankyuria stopped and began watching the scene from afar. She split into Nai and Mae for the occasion.

"Did we tell our servant to attack like this…?" Nai asked.

"No attacks…" Mae replied.

"What does she think she's doing?" Nai commented.

"Mido-kun's going to fight alone!" Mae started to cry.

"Don't cry!" Nai said, letting Mae cry on her shoulder.

"Alone, alone, alone!" Mae repeated.

"If he can pull a few fast ones on us, then I think he will win and show our stupid servant." Nai replied.

"Yeah! Go Mido-kun!" Mae shouted. "I won't cheer that again…that felt weird."

"Please don't say that again." Nai replied.

"Don't plan on it."

Xander transmuted his wand into an axe similar to his MagiStaff Axe and began hacking away at the first few Hideacs that came close.

"Is that all you've got?" Xander taunted. He hadn't ever imagined that he'd be good with a double-sided axes, but he had experience with hatchets and this wasn't that much different; all that was needed in change was a bit of extra muscle behind the swing.

A Hideac slid behind him in the second wave and slammed his rock spear into Xander's back; and although it didn't dive into his body like it should, it still jolted Xander forwards.

"Ow!" Xander cried, turning around and driving the axe into the Hideac's face. "How'd ya like that?"

"That blow should have severed his spine…why didn't it?" Morrigan asked a Hideac next to her. The Hideac shrugged. "I have a better plan…send the rest out at once." The Hideac looked at her questioningly while grunting. "You heard me! If we can't crush him, we'll wear him down and knock him out!"

The crowd behind Morrigan rushed forwards, surprising Xander. He didn't know so many had been out there.

"If I knew there were…so many…" Xander replied. Four Hideacs all slammed their blades into Xander, knocking him backwards.

"Look at all the Hideacs…" Nai said.

"Did she make Wolzard help her…?" Mae replied.

"Using our pets and our ally? That little wench!" Nai complained.

"This fight is unfair!" Mae complained.

Several Hideacs charged with their blades poised for a kill, and Xander attempted to dodge their blades, only to have them sink the blades hard into his cloak and running him into a large tree.

"Oh no…" Xander said unhappily, trying to wiggle himself and the cloak free. "If I wasn't wearing this stupid thing, I could just zip on through this tree…ugh…"

"Ah, a dart board!" Morrigan replied. "Thank you, my faithful minions!"

"Hey, those're our faithful minions…" Nai whimpered.

"Aren't the other Magicians going to help him…?" Mae replied, crying on Nai's sleeve.

Two cloaked figures walked up from the distance, both holding lion head staffs, both wearing pointed hats. They walked past the tree where Nai and Mae were and stood at the back of the field, yet still out of sight from everybody but the Vampire Queen. They caught Nai's attention, and she gasped.

"Those sticks…" Nai murmured, catching Mae's attention.

"Those ribbons…" Mae replied, referring to the green and pink ribbons on their hats.

"Why are they standing there…?" Nai asked Mae.

"Mido-kun is a fellow Magician…why don't they help him?" Mae began to sniffle. "Are they going to make him fight alone…?"

Xander braced himself as Morrigan screeched and fired off a Hawk's Eye, tossing it into Xander's chest. The force broke the tree behind Xander, causing the tree to fall forwards on the blades. The force of gravity yanked him out of his cloak, and Xander panicked.

"Hiding, are we? Not for long!" Morrigan threw a Hawk's Eye vertically, splitting the tree in half and making it fall to the sides. She gasped. "What is this…?"

Xander panicked, trying to hide himself. Unfortunately, he couldn't.

"He looks like a big black rock!" Morrigan laughed. Xander whimpered and tried to hide once again.

"You mock me?" Xander shouted. The Green Rose on his Nature Brace glowed brighter.

"No, I pity you! You're so dumb, that you screw up simple spells!"

"Augh! Damn you!" Xander screamed. "I've had enough of you and this fight!" The Green Rose shined brightly as he slammed his fist on the ground, and a shockwave pulsed from the impact. His rocky shell shattered as Earth Magic surged through him and into the ground.

The ground beneath the Hideacs shook violently, and giant hunks of jagged bedrock shot up out of the ground, impaling scores of them. The Hideacs who survived that began to fall into sinkholes with no hope of getting out. The few who escaped the sinkholes and the bedrock spears fell victim to the thorn whips that shot up like living razor wire, pulling down its victims and tearing them to shreds. The razor thorn whips then tore through the trapped and mangled corpses, heading straight for Morrigan.

Xander felt the drag of the Green Rose's power, and he struggled to stay awake. One last surge of energy was forced out of him by the Green Rose to power the chasing razor thorn whips, and he crashed to the ground and started to shake a bit.

"Do we help him now?" The Pink Magician asked.

"No." The Green Magician replied.

"Why does he let a fellow Magician suffer…?" Mae asked through hitched breaths.

"He's as heartless as Branken-sama…" Nai replied in a shocked tone.

Morrigan cackled as she flew up into the air, opening a Dark Circle and shooting through just before the razor thorn vines had a chance to catch her. The vines collapsed to the ground, driving some of the thorns into the grass below.

"Can we go now?" Pink Magician squealed, tugging on Green Magician's sleeve.

"I intend to." Green Magician walked out onto the scarred battlefield, followed by Pink Magician.

Xander shook mildly in the ball he had curled up into. The Green Magician sighed, then smiled. "Lujuna Majiine." He aimed his wand at Xander, and a softly flowing silver light enveloped him. "Let us go for now."

"That's it…?" Pink Magician asked. "We're just going to leave him here…?"

"Where would we bring him…?"

"Back home!"

"What's the use?" Green Magician said as he walked off.

"His friends! He has them, you know!"

"It's not worth it." Green Magician replied.

"Damn you!" Pink Magician shouted following Green Magician out of the battle scene.

Xander slowly opened his eyes to see an old familiar face smiling at him. "Mama…Mama Rocca?"

The woman smiled, her long black hair falling down nearly in his face. "Rest, Little Xander." Her warm smile reminded Xander so much of Madison's smile.

"Am I…dreaming…?" Xander asked weakly.

"Close your eyes and you can dream peacefully. You're safe and sound…" Mama Rocca replied, gently running a hand over Xander's head. Xander sighed happily and closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

Nai and Mae waited for a few moments after everybody else had left before they slowly moved down to the field. They slowly bent over and looked at Xander. The Green Rose had fallen back into emptiness once more.

Nai lightly poked Xander in the back of his ribs. "Eh. Nothing."

Mae started crying into her sleeves. "Oh, don't cry, Mae-chan!"

"He was all alone! We should have helped him punish our stupid servant!" Mae shouted. "It wasn't fair!"

Nai looked down at Xander and turned him on his back. After a few moments, she smiled and turned to face Mae. "We can still help him punish our servant."

"No we can't! He's all gone!" Mae cried. "He left all alone, and now we can't help him punish our servant!"

"Yes we can, Mae." Nai said with a smile.

Mae stopped crying. "You don't mean…"

"What better punishment than to make her do what took her an army to do over again?"

"But…but…we'd be helping those horrible Mahoutsukai!"

"We can't fight every battle for the Master. Sometimes we must give up a victory or two."

Mae looked down, then smiled softly. "Yes, yes, very true. We have to let our enemies win sometimes if we want our victories to be sweeter."

"So, what do you say? Just for today, to spite our backstabbing servant, we give the Mahoutsukai a victory?"

"To spite." Mai replied.

They both dug into their pockets for their respective lip glosses; purple for Mae, and vein blue for Nai.

"I feel dirty." Mae said.

"We're not helping him, remember, we're punishing our servant." Nai replied.

"Punish, spite, help the Light." Mae joked.

"…You're right, it sounds bad, doesn't it?" Nai replied with an evil grin.

"We wouldn't be the Queen Vampire if we weren't causing trouble for somebody!" Mae replied.

"Morrigan deserves a good prank." Nai replied.

They then put on their lip glosses, puckered quickly, and bent over Xander's face. "Queen Vampire no Kissu!" They shouted, grabbing Xander's shoulders and pressing their lips hard against Xander's cheeks, leaving all of their lip gloss on his cheeks.

The lip gloss sank into his skin, dissipating into his bloodstream and slowly revitalizing him. After a minute or so, Xander groaned a bit as he slowly woke up. He looked up and saw a woman sitting over him wearing a long, modest grey dress. Her face was covered in a veil that hung from a black bonnet, and her long straight black hair hung in two loose ponytails that were tied at the bottom of her hairline.

"…Who…who are you…?"

"Take your time getting up." The woman said. Her voice was sharp, authoritative, and somewhat deeper than the average female voice. Despite all that, there was a hint of sincerity to it.

Xander smiled. "Whatever you say…" He replied, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

Vankyuria sighed as she got up. "That was too close…" She muttered, grabbing Xander's broom and lying it beside him as soon as she was sure that he was back asleep. She got up, then frowned. "No, no, this won't do…" Vankyuria replied. She deeply sighed. "Oh, the things I do to amuse myself. Douza Mejira." A Dark Circle opened up beneath them, and they quickly zipped off back to Briarwood.

Vida continued on her ride away from Rootcore, unsure of how to feel. She had made poor Clare cry, and the news she got out of her was unsettling.

Udonna had a husband and a son, but neither were around anymore.

Vida suddenly thought of her own mother, and how hard it was for her and Madison to watch their mother die. She could only imagine how hard it would be to lose both a husband and a son.

"Maybe I shouldn't have been so prying…" Vida said to herself sadly. She swooped down and flew over the treetops as she headed towards an area of clearing dust. "Wonder what happened over there. It looks like some sort of explosion…"

She pulled her broom upwards, soaring up higher as she continued forwards. She saw the mangled carnage wrapped within the earthen binds as she got within three hundred feet of the scene. "Holy shit…what happened down there…?" She commented to herself, her eyes widening in shock. "I should check for survivors…"

She landed in the empty field to find no remains of life amongst the myriad bodies amongst the chaotic debris. "Who did all of this…?" Vida asked aloud, awestruck by the sheer destruction of the landscape.

"Why hello there, Magician of the Wind!" A voice cackled from afar. Vida couldn't see who was calling her out.

"Who's there?" Vida shouted.

"Perhaps you could see if there wasn't so much garbage between us!" The voice shouted. Moments later, a wide pink arc of light sawed through the rubble, allowing Vida to see that Morrigan was on the other side.

"You!" Vida shouted.

"What, were you expecting anybody else?" Morrigan replied. She fired off another Hawk's Eye to split Vida in half, but Vida had other plans.

She levitated her broom just high enough to give her leverage, then she did a spinning leap into the air holding her wand point-upwards at the sky. "Maagi Magi Majiiro!" A pink Magic Circle opened up above Vida, which transformed her into her Pink Mystic Armor as she spun through it. She descended just as the Hawk's Eye beam flew over the bristled part of her broom.

"Jii Jijiru! MagiStaff Battle Mode!" Her MagiStaff magically extended, and four rotating prongs shot up to protect her Fairy Crystal.

"The little witch has got herself a big wand…" Morrigan cackled. "But does it got what mine has?" Morrigan pulled out her wand; it appeared to be made of ebony wood. "Let's see how you like this! Aero Corona!" Several blasts of intensely powerful wind shot out of Morrigan's wand, slamming into Vida and knocking her into a tree.

"Fine, you wanna play rough? Let's go! Jii Maji Majika! Tornado Javelin!" Vida shouted, spinning the rotating prongs and summoning the narrow spiral of wind she needed to blast Morrigan back.

"Aero Corona!" The wind this time was even more intense. The various wind tunnel making up the Corona seemed to swallow the Tornado Javelin whole.

"Augh, no!" Vida shouted, spinning the prongs once more. "I can't let you beat me…"

One last spin of the prongs, and the Corona proved itself to be too much, even for three Tornado Javelins attempting to pierce it. It smashed the javelins to bits and slammed into Vida, tearing at her armor and weapon and sending her flying into the tree once again. Her transformation was forced away in a gale of wind.

"I'm still the best Wind Magician the Master knows!" Morrigan cheered. "Funny, since I hate using it. But alas, I had to know if the mighty Wind Magician who replaced the Wind Scout was really all I hoped they would be…" Morrigan walked over and picked Vida up by the throat. Vida responded by scowling, flailing, and attempting to pull Morrigan's hands off of her. "I have to say…you're no better than he is."

"I'll be happy when you burn in Hell." Vida taunted. "I'll be happy when we put you out of your misery."

"I'd like to see you all try. You're supposed to be the strong one, aren't you?"

"We're all strong."

"I killed your stupid friend, despite the mess he made…" Morrigan waved her free hand about, signifying what she meant.

"Xander? You killed Xander? You bitch!"

"Oh, he put up a good fight. I can't claim to strike the final blow, but I will admit to doing most of the damage myself." Morrigan laughed.

Vida's Pink Squall gem on her anklet began to glow, and it caught Morrigan's eye. _Again…? Maybe I could do the same thing twice…_ "So, Wind Magician, what do you plan to do to keep from sharing his fate?"

"This!" Vida squarely planted her left foot on the ground as the Pink Squall charm glowed intensely. She then pushed off with her right foot and began to spin as she tightly grabbed Morrigan's wrists. The spinning of the Pink Squall charm created an instant tornado around Vida as she spun. After a few turns, Vida was lifted off the ground along with Morrigan. As they reached a height roughly above the trees at high speeds, Vida let go of Morrigan and sent her flying down into the ground.

"Ugh!" Morrigan grunted as she tried to push herself up. "What was that…?"

Vida slowly descended, still spinning until she softly touched the ground. "Whoa…" Vida said in an awed tone. "All that spinning, and I'm not even dizzy!"

"That power…" Morrigan mused as she once against reached for her wand. "She seems so unfazed…so vivacious…this can't be!"

"Not this time! Maaji Maji Majiiro!" Vida quickly transformed back into her Pink Mystic Armor. "Have I got a trick for you!"

She took out her wand and crossed her arms over her chest, wand gripped firmly in her right hand. "Fairy Change! Maagi Majiiro!" A wave of pink fairy dust surrounded her body, seemingly emanating from the Mystic Armor itself. It glittered and glowed as it fully surrounded Vida, and finally it collected around her back and exploded in flashes of pink light. Two full-sized pink fairy wings shot out from her back and began flapping heavily, sending a toxic fairy dust, along with a heavy gust, flying at Morrigan.

The toxic fairy dust slowly choked Morrigan as the wind gusts tossed her about. "How about that for an unfair blow?" Vida said with a laugh. "Ah! Get it, 'unfair BLOW'? It's a pun!"

Morrigan snarled, and tossed a Hawk's Eye at Vida, which she halted her attack to avoid. This gave Morrigan enough time to counter with a few more Hawk's Eyes. Vida remained afloat in the air by fluttering her fairy wings.

"Ugh, I've had enough! Jii Jii Jijiru!" Vida donned the Mystic Fighting Gloves, and as soon as she slammed her fists together, she began to do a spinning dive, right arm outstretched. "Tornado Corkscrew!" She shouted, coming down so fast that Morrigan didn't have time to move.

Vida smashed her fist into Morrigan's face so hard, that it shattered the bottom left corner of the face off, revealing Morrigan's nearly-translucent complexion and part of her lips, which had been bloodied up by the impact. Morrigan screeched as she grabbed at the exposed part of her face. "My mask! My Mistress's visage!"

"You'll be lucky to leave here with a face at all, you coward!" Vida shouted. "Jii Jinga Majika Majuna! Butterfly Flurry!" Vida's wings fluttered at a hummingbird's speed, and she lightly lifted her left leg before flying off, shifting her positioning to the right. As she got close to Morrigan, she unleashed a supersonic barrage of right jabs, causing severe damage on every hit. She grinned, since she had taken a particular aim between the lower face to the upper chest, and she shattered most of what remained of the bottom half of Morrigan's mask and the cowl that surrounded it. One blast in particular shattered part of the gold chain around her neck, causing the necklace Morrigan had stolen to fall to the ground. One final blow sent Morrigan flying far back into the forest. Morrigan hastily retreated, wishing for no more of the abuse she had just taken.

"Yeah, run away, you little coward!" Vida taunted. She powered down and looked down at the ground, spotting the gold necklace, picking it up and smiling. "So, you left me a victory gift? Thanks, you coward!" Vida said, slipping it into her cloak pocket along with her wand. "You know what? I feel better about myself! This flight really worked the way it was supposed to!" Vida cheerfully said to herself. She hopped up onto her broom and headed back towards Rootcore.

Xander slowly woke up to find himself tucked up in bed, his broom sitting up against the headboard. He slowly sat up and spotted the woman he had seen before standing out on his balcony.

"She wasn't a dream…" Xander softly muttered to himself. He climbed out of bed ever-so-quietly, so as to not disturb her. He set a silencing spell on his shoes to prevent any sound from coming from them as he slid across the marble floor. As he went to grab her shoulder, her arm shot back and grabbed his wrist.

"You should be resting." Vankyuria said, tossing his hand aside.

"I thought I dreamt you…" Xander replied. "I had to make sure I wasn't still dreaming."

"I am not a dream, but rather a nightmare. I promise you that we will never meet like this again."

"If you're such an evil thing…why are you standing here on my balcony?" Xander asked slyly.

"I am admiring the view." Vankyuria replied. "Briarwood has become so lovely…and it's even more lovely from this balcony."

"I assure you that you won't get a better view of the town anywhere else." Xander said, slowly picking up on Vankyuria's vibe. "My balcony's always available to you if you'd like to visit."

"I have better things to do than to be here."

"Then wouldn't you be out doing them now?" Xander said, gantly nudging her side with his elbow.

"I stayed to make sure you were alive. I stayed to see the town. Now that I'm done with both, I'm leaving." She then leapt from the balcony, leaving Xander to panic.

"Hey!" Xander shouted as he looked down, but all he saw was the dress and the hat fluttering to the ground. "She's running around town naked…" Xander grinned. "I knew I still had it in me."

Vida arrived in Rootcore right as a late lunch of beef stew and freshly harvested salad was being placed out to dine. She saw Xander's place at the table and sighed heavily. Nick arrived shortly after and walked over to Madison.

After a moment or so, Madison noticed Vida moping around Xander's seat.

"What's up, sis?" Madison asked. "You've been weird all day."

"I miss him so much…" Vida said, tearing up.

"Xander…? He's at home, sleeping soundly." Nick replied. "He went out for a ride earlier, and I left right after he came home…"

Vida laughed painfully. "No, he's not sleeping, stupid. He's dead." Chip, Clare, Madison, and Nick all took a step back, stunned by the line. "I fought Morrigan…she said he was dead…"

"But that's not right…how long ago did you fight her…?"

"I just got back from kicking her ass…"

"He just got home…"

"Nick, Xander's not home, he's dead!"

"And what Xander is this? When did we get another Xander?" Vida turned her head to see Xander standing in the doorway. Her eyes lit up as she dropped her broom and jumphugged Xander. "Wow, what did I miss?" Xander asked the rest of the group, giving a slightly confused look.

"You're alive!" Vida shouted, giving him a bearhug.

"Hey, hey…careful, Vi. You could pop out an organ!"

"Morrigan said you were dead!" Vida stopped crying, and suddenly scowled. "Don't you ever do that to me again!" She said, punching him in the side.

"What have I missed?" Xander cried out as the rest of the group laughed.

Vankyuria snarled as she backhanded Morrigan.

"What a miserable defeat! Look at you, you're a mess!" Vankyuria said.

"Please Mistress! Please forgive me! I didn't expect her move!"

"You should have! If you're such a good Wind Magician, picking up your enemy's movements should be a breeze!" After a silent moment, Vankyuria added, "Pun intended."

"Mistress, please! Give me another chance!" Morrigan begged.

"I want you out of my sight until you've come up with a plan to crush those little Magicians!" Vankyuria screamed, pointing towards the archway into her lair. Morrigan stood up. "I'll let Wolzard know that your services are available if he needs somebody to watch his prisoners…or if he needs somebody to fill an open cell."

"Yes, Mistress…" Morrigan replied, disheartened.

"You're pathetic, even now…you let a weak little Magician break you down to nothing…I guess you're not the greatest Wind Magician in the land anymore…" Vankyuria replied with a grin. Morrigan nearly ran out as she began to cry. After her sobs could be heard no longer, Vankyuria flung herself over the arm of her throne and began taking a sip from her obsidian goblet. "There, that aught to keep her out of my hair for a while."

Meanwhile, in the Master's Den, Wolzard and Branken were having yet another argument.

"Bring me to the surface!" Branken shouted. "Bring me now!"

"Branken, your impatience grows tiresome." Wolzard replied. "I do have good news to tell you, but I am hesitant to do so with your temper as it is."

"Tell me, you insolent Madoushi!" Branken shouted, steam shooting out of his mechanical horn as he swung his Hellfang around wildly.

"I know the location of the Lunar Key." Wolzard replied.

"Lunar Key!" Branken replied, astonished. "How did you find it?"

"I have my ways." Wolzard replied coldly.

"Well then, go get it!" Branken shouted.

"I go by my Master's wishes…" Wolzard replied mindlessly, as if speaking through another channel.

"You obey my orders, Madoushi! I am the Supreme General of Infershia's Army! I am in command! You shall do as I say!"

"The Master wishes for me to retrieve the Key, and I shall."

"Bring that Key to me!" Branken ordered.

"I do as the Master orders." Wolzard replied as he wordlessly opened up a Dark Circle and teleported out.

"Master, Master, Master! He never listens to me!" Branken shouted as he stomped on the ground. "I am in charge around here, and nobody listens to me!"


	13. Interlude: A Legendary Retreat

On the hill overlooking Briarwood from the north, the Green and Pink Magicians who wielded their strange lion head staffs watched as the lights flickered out one by one.

"Why did you make him die?" Pink asked as the last light fell dim.

"I knew he would be brought back…I was told he would."

"By whom?"

"By the Queen." Green grinned.

"…Why would you set hope on a half demon like her?" Pink asked, seemingly disgusted.

"Because she knows courage." Green replied with a happy sigh. "Besides, she was there watching behind us. She was petrified at the sight, she sympathized for the poor Magician. She knows loneliness, and it burns her to see it outside of herself."

"Why is that…?"

"Don't you remember before…?"

"No…"

"I suppose that's a story for another time…"

Just then, the eyes on the Green and Pink Magicians' lion head staffs glowed a bright yellow. "I wonder what he wants…" Pink said, picking up her staff and bringing the lion's open mouth up to her own. "Hello, Yellow?"

"Where are you two?" Yellow Magician sounded panicked.

"Yellow…? We're up on Sonoma Hill. Why, is something wrong?"

"Look down to Mysteria Lane." He shouted. Green and Pink stood up; the street began to light up in shades of purple.

"Are those…Madou Circles?" Pink asked.

"Why are they near our home…?" Green shouted.

"They know…they know the Key is here."

"How did they find out?" Pink shouted.

"I don't know! We're going to try and escape with the Key…please come quickly!" Yellow's transmission suddenly cut out.

"We must hurry!" Pink shouted.

"Goo Gojika Luuma Lujuna!" Yellow Magician shouted as the Hideacs burst through the door. A bright bolt of lightning broke the silence and darkness of night, tearing through a huge portion of Hideacs that had attempted to break into the house. Wolzard snickered as he made his way through the charred remains of the fallen.

"I see that they're sacrificing their strongest warrior to stall time…" He said, pulling the Yellow Magician forwards by the upper tip of his hood and smacking his lion's head staff crossbow away.

"You think I'm done and over with now that you've disarmed me? I'm not that young Yellow Magician; I'm deadlier when I'm unarmed!"

He placed the tip of his index finger to Wolzard's forehead. "Lujuna!" A force of light weighed heavily against Wolzard's helmet, striking him back immensely and knocking him back into the street.

"Goo Gojika!" Pink Magician and Green Magician shouted, both aiming at Wolzard. With split-second timing, Wolzard rolled and dodged the Green Magician's Rock Spikes, and also deflected Pink Magician's Squall Burst with his sword. "Douza Uru Zazaado!" Wolzard's shield opened up, firing off several Dark Wolf Attacks, knocking the duo out of the skies.

"Why are you stalling for them…?" Wolzard asked the trio.

"We won't let the Key fall into the hands of Infershia!" Yellow Magician shouted, aiming his Lion's Head Staff Crossbow at Wolzard. "Goo Gojika Luuma Lujuna!" The wide beam of lightning erupted from the crossbow, and it made Wolzard laugh. "Douza Uru Zazaado!" The Dark Wolf Attack smashed into the lightning beam, and both darkness and light clashed violently, neither side giving in.

"Maji Gojika Jingajin!" Pink and Green shouted, lining their Staffs up like a cross. The result was a vicious gust of wind followed by a flurry of razor sharp leaves all shooting out against Wolzard.

"Uzaara Ujira!" Wolzard did a 360 spin with his sword out, and a dark magic shield went up around him and deflected both attacks back at the casters, striking them down for the count. "I waste my time with you…" He opened up a Dark Circle and teleported away.

"He got away!" Yellow shouted, slamming his fist against the ground.

"Don't worry; he'll never find the Key." Green said happily. "Red and Blue are far away with the Key in their possession…and knowing them, they're going for the safest place anywhere…"

"C'mon you two! Keep up!" The Red Magician shouted, pulling her hood farther over her head. "Yellow gave us enough time to run to Rootcore, we shouldn't let his sacrifice go to waste."

"C'mon, Lunagel, keep up…" Blue said, grabbing her hand. "I can see Rootcore up ahead…"

"So can I." Lunagel replied, tightly clasping her Lunar Staff.

"Udonna will shelter us; she's strong and wise." Red added, smiling a bit.

"I remember her; I know what she's capable of." Lunagel replied coldly.

"Then I'm sure you realize what a good plan this is…" Red replied. "Oh, here we are!" He pointed her Lion's Head Staff at a large tree trunk. "Galwit Nermax Mysto!" The trunk opened up widely, allowing the trio to run inside.

Red entered first, followed by Blue and Lunagel. Clare panicked at the sight of three unfamiliar Magicians dashing in while she was dusting off Udonna's Snow Staff, and she quickly reacted by taking an attacking pose with Udonna's staff in hand.

"Stand down, Magician." Red said, holding up her hand.

"How are you?" Clare asked. "How did you get in here?"

"We're old friends of the owner." Blue replied warmly. "Tell me, is Udonna awake at this late hour?"

Clare dropped her guard and gave a shocked look. "Didn't you see the fight…?"

"What fight?" Red asked.

"Udonna died fighting Wolzard. You didn't know that?" Clare was in awe of their lack of knowledge.

"I didn't want to believe it…" Blue replied, hanging his head.

"Why didn't you tell me, Blue? Now we have no place to go!" Red shouted.

"You can stay here. I don't mind." Clare replied.

"It doesn't matter; how's this pitiful Magician going to help us protect the Key?" Red scolded Blue.

"I'm not pitiful!" Clare shouted.

"She may be weak to us, but she's a White Magician. It takes dedication to become a White Magician, and you know that."

"Look at her, she's wearing Apprentice robes! What's an Apprentice of anything going to do to help us?"

"I'm right here, you two! I can hear you!" Clare shouted.

"We don't have time to waste! C'mon, we're leaving." Red said. As she turned to leave, Lunagel spoke up. "I'm staying."

Red suddenly stopped and turned around, stunned. "…What?"

"She is obviously an Apprentice of Udonna's. I have never known Udonna to have a bad judge of character when it comes to picking who should be an Apprentice of anybody, let alone her own. She must have believed that this girl is a capable and strong Magician if she decided to bring her underneath her own tutelage. Though she is only an Apprentice, I feel that she will fare fine in Udonna's absence. I will stay with her." Lunagel said in a soft, yet authoritative, tone.

"Oh, it's nothing…" Clare blushed and tried to hide her face in modesty.

"I'll stay, too." Blue added. "To be even an Apprentice of White Magic is quite a virtue, and it says that you are skilled and strong. I trust that, if anything happens, that she'll be able to help us." Blue smiled. "Besides, when we walked in, she was ready to combat us on her own. She's battle ready and determined to defend this place with her life."

"Thank you." Clare replied.

Red huffed and turned around. "Fine, we stay."

Wolzard stood outside the forest, laughing sadistically. "You fish have swam into your own barrel…" He grinned as he raised his shield up. The Shield opened up, revealing the red eye in the center. "Uru Zazaare Ujira." The red eye emitted a black light that began to engulf the exterior of the forest at a rapid pace. "I hope you've begun your final rituals…" He said as the wall began to fully encapsulate the forest. "It won't be long now…"

The crystal ball in Rootcore turned black suddenly, catching Clare's eye. "Oh no…" She said, rushing over to the ball. "Not good…not good at all."

"What is it?" Blue asked, looking into the ball as well as he approached.

"It's…it's a wall." Clare replied.

"It's a Black Heart Wall." Blue replied. "Only agents of Infershia can pass through its walls…we're stuck inside the forest."

"He must've seen us run in here." Red replied. "That's just wonderful. He can come and go as he pleases, but we're stuck here."

"What are we gonna do?" Clare asked.

"The only thing we can do now, White Apprentice…" Red said, crossing her arms. "We wait."


	14. The Marauding Key I

"Guys, did you see that?" Xander asked, looking out his window. Madison, Vida, and Nick got up from their seats on the couch and scrambled over to Xander's side in the Library. Xander pointed out the Black Heart Wall to them. "I wonder what that is…"

"Hey, can any of you get in contact with Clare?" Madison's wand emitted Chip's voice.

"Chip, hey! What's going on out there?" Madison said.

"There was a fight nearby, and then it was quiet for a while…then a few minutes later, that Black Heart Wall went up! I'm worried; Clare's still in Rootcore."

"I'll try contacting her." Nick said, pulling out his wand. "Clare…?" Silence. "Clare, can you hear me? It's Nick." Still no response. "We got nothing, Chip."

"Dammit. Tsubasa and I would fly closer, but if my memory serves me from my studies, Black Heart Walls can do some nasty damage to anybody who isn't from Infershia tries to pass through it."

"Chip, come on back to Xander's place. We'll meet you on his balcony." Madison said.

"Okay." Chip replied. As the conversation dimmed out, they could hear Chip calling for Tsubasa.

"This is bad." Nick replied. "I hope Clare is okay out there on her own."

"I hope Rootcore's okay." Xander said. Nick flashed him a look. "Hey, if Rootcore falls, we all do."

"He's got a point." Vida said. "I mean, we know Clare's important, but Rootcore is our base. It'd suck if something happened to Clare, but he need to be more concerned for Rootcore right now."

"Fine. Let's go up to meet Chip." Nick commented coldly as he stood up.

Xander waited for Nick to leave the room before muttering "Wonder what's bugging him…" into Madison's ear.

"He probably feels bad that Clare has to defend Rootcore on her own." Madison replied.

"Guess you're right." Xander replied as they got up. "But it doesn't mean you have to be grumpy about it."

Nick and the others met up with Chip on Xander's balcony. "So, is there a plan of action?" Chip asked.

"None yet." Nick said. "Everybody, sit down. It'll be easier to brainstorm if we're sitting." Everybody sat down cross-legged in a circle in their positions at Rootcore's table. "Okay, let's lay down the facts. What's going on?"

"There was an attack on Mysteria Lane between a small troop of Hideacs, led by Wolzard, and three Magicians. The Hideacs were toasted quickly, and the three fought Wolzard, but they were mowed down. Wolzard disappeared, then a few minutes later, that Black Heart Wall rose up."

"Are they attacking Rootcore again?" Xander chimed up.

"No." Nick said.

"Why not?" Chip asked as Tsubasa trotted over to Madison's lap.

"Why would they work so hard to get into Rootcore if they already managed to get in there so easily?" Nick replied.

"They know that we know about that…why would they try that again?" Chip said back.

"No, you're thinking too far ahead. We're talking about Infershia, the group that hasn't ever managed to outsmart us on their own."

"True."

"If they really wanted to infiltrate Rootcore, they'd probably just walk right in disguised as one of us again like the last time. They wouldn't need to surround the forest, or even send out an attack."

"Yeah, what was that attack about? They didn't even fight the right Magicians." Vida said.

"That can't be unrelated. And anyways, I think their mistake was intentional." Nick said. "I'm guessing that, although Infershia isn't made up of the brightest bunch, they know enough about us to know where we hang out…maybe even live. The attack happened on a residential street, right?" Nick said. His mind seemed to be working on auto-drive; he had seen this scenario plenty of times before.

"Yeah, Mysteria Lane, I think the sign said." Chip complied.

"Then somebody broke into the wrong Magician's house…but why is the question…" Nick replied.

"Do you think maybe they thought one of us was there?" Madison asked.

"Somehow, I don't think we were the targets this time." Nick said. "Everything leans away from us."

"Makes sense to me." Vida replied.

"I guess." Madison replied.

"But then the question comes back…who or what were they looking for, if not for us or something belonging to us…?" Chip asked.

"You know what, Nick?" Xander said, looking over at Nick. "You know who lives on Mysteria Lane?"

"Who?" Xander didn't reply; he merely grinned, suggesting an outing.

Ten minutes later, Nick and Xander stood outside the Marauders' House. Xander lightly knocked on the door, and a few seconds later, Esen opened the door in her pj's rubbing her eyes.

"Hey there." Xander said.

"Hello, Mister Xander. You're here at an odd time…" Esen yawned. "Can you come back later?"

"Is Miss Clarin here? I'd like to speak to her."

"Miss Clarin is away." Esen replied.

"Away…? Isn't she like, your legal guardian or something…?" Nick asked.

"Miss Clarin says we're old enough to take care of ourselves on our own. Right now, though, I should be asleep."

"Esen, did you hear the explosions and flashing lights on this street earlier tonight?" Xander asked softly.

"I'm sorry, I'm a heavy sleeper." Esen said. I'd ask Tali or Ollie, but they're sleeping. They had a long day of chores."

"Well, we'll come back later, okay?" Xander asked.

"Okay. Goodnight, Misters Nick and Xander." Esen said before sleepily closing the door.

"Ya know, if Briarwood had a Child Services program, I'd be hauling those kids down there…" Nick said as he mounted his broom.

"Well, most kids are competent here in Briarwood…" Xander replied. "Some of them are in fixes, but they can work it out."

"Yeah…" Nick replied as they took off back for Xander's house.

"Who was that…?" Oliver grumbled as he lied face down on the couch.

"Two of the Magicians."

"About time they woke up." Taliesin mumbled from the chair in the corner.

"I'm going back to sleep." Esen replied, grabbing her cloud blanket and curling up underneath the coffee table.

"Aren't you uncomfortable?" Taliesin asked.

"Well, when the end of the world happens and the earthquake starts, at least I'll have something protecting me." Esen replied before she fell back asleep.

Back at Rootcore, Clare had begun to boil a pot of tea for her guests.

"You know, if Udonna were here, we would've had a full course meal by now." Red griped.

"Shut up." Blue replied. "We wanted sanctuary, and we got it. The quality of it shouldn't matter."

"Red, do not let your fiery temper get the best of you in this time of crisis." Lunagel replied.

Clare silently walked over to the herb garden Xander had started and went through looking for good tealeaves.

"I still say that this is a disaster." Red replied. "Why didn't you tell me about Udonna's demise?"

"I didn't think it was true. I've gotten false visions before." Blue replied.

"Bullshit." Red said, crossing her arms.

"Please, don't argue." Lunagel said calmly. "Infershia wants us to fight each other. We must stick together, all four of us."

"There's only four of us here?" Red shouted, standing up. "Where is everybody else? Where's Sorin? Taranis? Fintan? Hell, Conall should even be here! Why is this place empty besides this fucking Apprentice?"

"Because they're dead, Red. Every last one of them." Blue replied.

Blue and Lunagel could tell that Red was in a startled state. Shock and disbelief seemed to rattle the leader of the Magicians to her very core. She collapsed to her chair, silent and in pure repudiation.

"Why…?" Red said, starting to cry. "How…?"

"Infershia spared no expense in its attempt to wipe us out. It did a fairly thorough job, it seems."

"Not Fintan, if anybody…" Red said, tears streaming down her face. "He…he was like a father to me…"

Blue stood up and hugged his distraught leader. "I know…but nobody died in vain, so smile."

"Infershia is still running loose, and we're in danger of breaking open the Hellgates if we can't survive long enough to defeat Wolzard and smash his wall."

"What will you do once you break down the wall?" Clare asked as she brought over a bowl of ground up leaves along with a silver tea set that Udonna had stowed away for such an occasion.

"We're going to run until we can't anymore." Red said. "We have nowhere else to go…"

"We could have taken Snowgel's proposal when she left…" Lunagel replied.

"No, I don't want to drag her into this bloody war…all she wants is peace." Red replied.

"None of us can avoid this war, Red. Nobody."

"C'mon now, people, have some tea." Clare said, trying to change the subject. "You guys must've traveled far to visit, and you must be famished…or at least dehydrated."

"I'm a little hungry…" Red replied, slowly getting herself a cup of tea. Blue started helping her with her tea while Lunagel grabbed some tea of her own. Clare smiled at Lunagel as she admired Lunagel's necklace. It was lined with a dozen tiny bells which, when they jingled about, reminded Clare of Christmas.

"I like your necklace, miss." Clare said.

"Thank you. You may call me Clarin." Lunagel replied.

"If you wish, Clarin." Clare replied, holding up the jar of tea leaves for her.

"Tell me, White Magician…how was Udonna, if you don't mind sharing with me?" Clarin asked as she finished preparing her tea. Clare sat down next to her with her own cup of tea.

"Well, she missed everybody very much…and these Magicians who're out there now…they made her so happy…they made her feel alive. She was very proud of them, even though they didn't get along very much. She believed in them…she believed in me." Clare pursed her lips in sorrow, but quickly recovered as she decided to take a sip of tea.

"She has reason to believe in all of you, White Magician…from what I've seen and heard, you are all very talented Magicians."

"I'm a bumbling assistant…I'm not a real Magician…I'll never finish my training now, anyways. I'll always be just an Apprentice." Clare went on, rambling half in spite of the Red Magician, half in realization of the truth.

"We were all Apprentices once, young one." Clarin replied. "We were all once bright-eyed and cheerful, and we all once made mistakes. Aren't you all Apprentices anyways, in your respective magicks?"

"We are, aren't we…?" Clare suddenly realized Udonna's move in switching everybody's magic branches around.

"And yet you've all given Infershia so much trouble."

"Me? I've just tossed a couple of icicles around." Clare replied.

"And they've just tossed a few spells around." Clarin said. "You will have a time to shine, little one. We can't all be successful at once."

"I guess…" Clare said, taking a sip of tea as she stared into the crystal ball, which continued to reflect the image of the Black Heart Wall.

"So, what've we got here?" Nick asked, pointing the tip of his wand at a blackboard.

"We have part of my balcony being alchemed into a writing tablet…" Xander began to gripe.

"Oh shut it." Vida said, elbowing him hard in the ribs.

"Ouch. Watch it, Vi. My ribs're bruised from your bear hugs…"

"Ahem." Nick said loudly, getting everybody's attention. "Now, what do we know about what's going on?"

"We know th-"

"Ah, wait for me to call on you, Chip. You gotta raise your hand."

"We don't have time for this…" Chip grumbled.

Madison raised her hand.

"Yes, Madison?"

"Can we play 'school' later, Nick? This is kind of important."

"Fine…" Nick replied. "Just everybody shout out everything at once…" He added, sounding defeated.

"Well, we know that Infershia is launching a full scale on somebody…but not us." Vida said.

"Yeah…" Nick said, instantly magically inscribing what Vida said up on the blackboard in his handwriting.

"We know that they're obviously targeting a different team of Magicians…we should try to get in contact with them." Chip replied.

"Good plan." Nick said, adding both to the board.

"We should probably find a way to contact Clare." Xander added.

"Also good."

"We gotta take that wall down, too!" Vida said, slamming her fist into her palm.

"We could do that too."

Madison raised her hand. "Yeah, Maddie?"

"Shouldn't we find out what they want first?" She asked.

"We should start at that."

"Well, it's obvious that them fighting the Magicians didn't get them what they want, and that what they want is most likely in the forest." Chip said.

"Good point." Nick said. "But what could they want that's more important than anything we have…?"

"Well, whatever it is, it's more important than Rootcore and the Xenotome combined."

"Something more important than the Xenotome…?" Vida asked, confused.

Chip turned pale. "The Lunar Key…"

"The Lunar Key…?" Madison asked.

"What's the Lunar Key?" Nick asked. Chip stood up and took Nick's wand out of his hand and erased the board.

"The Lunar Key is one of three parts to opening the Gates of Infershia." Chip said. A wave of the wand, and four things showed up: A drawing of an ornately decorated gate, and three phrases; "Xenotome", "Lunar Key", and "Lunar Seal", all written in Chip's handwriting. Chip pointed to the gate first. "These are the Gates of Infershia. They keep the most powerful beings in Infershia…well, in Infershia. It's said that there are three seals on the Gates, and that they are the Xenotome, The Lunar Key, which belongs to Lunagel, and the Lunar Seal."

"Who's Lunagel? Does she have something to do with the moon…?" Nick asked.

"She is the Heavenly Saint of the Moon, correct."

"I see…" Nick walked over to the empty seat Chip left and sat down.

"They have already managed to gain access to the Xenotome's piece, and they have allowed the Madou Circles to become accessible to everybody…within reason."

"Madou?" Nick asked, raising his hand.

"The Infershian word for 'Dark Magic'. Madoushi means 'Dark Magic Warrior', or Dark Magician."

"Oh."

"Anyways, they have broken the seal on the Madou Circles with the Xenotome. Infershia's next step is the Lunar Key, which Lunagel possesses. Lunagel is said to have this on her person at all times; though it doesn't look like a key, it might be noticeable at first glance. I think it's supposed to be some sort of flashy jewelry or something…anyways…"

Nick raised his hand again. "Okay, we've stopped playing school, Nick. Cut it out."

"What, they had us do this down at the station, too!" Nick replied. "I'm used to it."

"I see…" Chip said. "…Station?"

"Police station, where I worked."

"They made you do a childish thing at work?" Xander asked.

"You have us arrange the chips on the chocolate chip cookies ever so perfectly…" Vida teased.

"Well, that's baking, this is serious." Xander replied.

"It's still my job!" Vida replied.

"Hey! You two! Shut the fuck up!" Chip shouted, scaring everybody else. "I feel like I'm actually working in a school with you two going back and forth with the mindless banter…" Vida sighed, playing with her pajama bottoms.

"Anyways…" Nick said. "My question is what does Infershia have to do with this Lunar Key? Do they need to just have it in their possession or…"

"They'd have to destroy it, Nick."

"Oh, okay. Go on."

"Alright, once they do that, The Gates of Infershia are supposed to rise from wherever they're being hidden until the final part of the process is over, when they will open."

"Then the Lunar Seal has to be unlocked using an incantation from the Xenotome."

"So this is a long process, then?" Nick asked.

"This could all take less than a day, but since the Key was hidden, they couldn't go off from the first part until now."

"Where is this Lunar Seal…? We should go try to defend it." Madison said.

"The Lunar Seal…is Lunagel." Chip said.

"That must mean…" Vida said, slowly having an epiphany. "that must mean that they're after Lunagel herself!"

"That makes sense…" Chip said, nodding.

"But then…why would they seal off the forest?" Xander asked.

"Well, it's got to be that Lunagel is there." Chip replied.

"I wish we could contact Clare and let her know…" Nick said.

"What should we do now…? I mean…it doesn't look like we can do anything…" Madison commented sadly.

Just as Chip went to answer Nick's wand lit up, emitting a ringing sound. Everybody looked back at him, and he sheepishly grinned. "Eheh…ringtone." Nick replied, turning his wand into a cellphone. He looked at who was calling and was shocked. "…I gotta take this call." He said, walking into Xander's room and closing the balcony door.

"Hello?" A soft female voice said as Nick picked up. As usual, she spoke first.

"Sylvie! I thought you forgot my number." Nick replied cheerfully.

"I've been worried about you! I heard you moved out of Roftwood…where'd you go?"

"Out and about." Nick replied. "How have you been? I haven't seen you since I left Ravenwood to go to the Academy."

"I'm still running mom's jewelry store here…it's still the same old place."

"Ah, so it's still Hell on Earth?" Nick replied.

"Hey, it was our home, and it's still mine. It could be worse."

"I guess."

After a moment, Sylvie spoke up. "Well, I was just calling to see if you were alive. You sound preoccupied, so I'll let you go…"

"I was just wondering…if you're free later on today, you wanna go to lunch or something?"

"Sure! I was thinking about taking today off anyways."

"Okay, see you then."

"Talk to you later, Nicky."

"Hey now…what have I said about you calling me that?"

"…To always do it?" Sylvie teased.

"No…gah. Bye."

"Bye!" Nick hung up and walked back out onto the balcony.

"Well Nick, we've got nothing for you to do…" Chip said as he rejoined the group. "We've got Vida and Madison guarding Mysteria Lane, Xander keeping watch on the Wall, and I'll be flying around looking for any signs of attacks in Briarwood."

"Sounds good…that's okay, though. My sister just called me; we're gonna have lunch together." Nick looked excited. "I haven't seen her in nearly three years."

"Well, I hope you have a great lunch." Chip said with a nod and a slightly hurt smile. "We'll be sure to hold down the fort and keep you updated."

"Alrighty."

Xander yawned and stretched. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I need my beauty rest. As he approached the balcony door, he began to pull his shirt off. "Everybody go where ya want, but ya can't stay on my balcony!"

"I'm going downstairs." Nick said, transmuting his robe back into his black beater and red lounge pants before walking through Xander's room and down to the first floor.

"Well, we're going home." Vida said, getting up. Her oversized white pants sagged slightly and stopped halfway down her abdomen, showing off her pink boxers. Vida blushed and first tried pulling her white beater over the boxers before giving up and attempting to keep the pants up. "Aw, fuck it."

"See sis? That's why I wear nightgowns." Madison said, pointing to her summer nightgown; a silky sky blue gown with spaghetti straps that went down to her kneecaps. "I never have to worry about pulling pants up."

"But I can see your cleavage." Vida said, giving a perverted look to her older sister. Madison self-consciously crossed her arms over her chest, which forced Chip to stifle a laugh.

"And what about you, Bird Boy?" Vida asked Chip as Tsubasa sleepily curled up between Chip's feet.

"Ugh…well…I guess since I can't go home, I'll just hang out in Xander's backyard. Marble stays pretty warm, and if either of us gets cold, I'll just conjure up a blanket."

"Come stay at our house, Chip. You can sleep in the living room, next to the fireplace, or on our couch. It's got really marshmallowish pillows…your head'll just sink right into them!" Madison replied, smiling widely.

Chip sighed. "Fine…" He went to grab his broom, but Vida grabbed his arm.

"Wait." Vida said.

"What?"

"I wanna see what you're gonna be sleeping in."

"Why?"

"The last thing I need is for my dad to trudge into the living room in the morning and catch you half-naked on the living room couch."

"Fine…" Chip took out his wand and quickly changed into his night clothes; a plain yellow teeshirt and a pair of blue lounge pants, which had little yellow prints on them. Madison looked and them and smiled.

"Are those what I think they are…?" Madison said, crouching down in front of Chip's leg and staring at the yellow print. She was right; the little yellow prints were almost all unique drawings of cartoonish hippogryphs.

"How cute!" Madison said.

"Clare made those for me…my entire wardrobe in Rootcore was too small, so she went out of her way to either dig stuff out for me or make it herself." Chip explained.

"Ooh, what kind of fabric is this…? It's so soft!" Madison wrapped her arms around his leg tightly and began to use it as a pillow. Chip gave her an odd look, and Vida began tugging on her sister's arm.

"C'mon, you, you're getting loopy. Time for bed."

"What kind of fabric did she use? I wanna make a pillowcase out of it!" Madison said.

"C'mon, Maddie, I'm tired and I wanna get to bed too…" Chip complained.

"Fine…" Madison let go of Chip's leg and was swiftly dragged over to Vida's broom. "BROOM!" Madison shouted, clinging to Vida as if she were trying to hide from the broom's sight.

"I'll go slow…" Vida said. Madison looked at Vida's broom again; Vida had customed the broom to be super fast, at the cost of having a narrower broom than normal. Narrow meant less space to sit, which meant less chance of staying on. Chip's broom, on the other hand, was meant to be agile, and was more aerodynamic and wide.

"Can I go with you, Chip?" Madison asked, giving him puppy dog eyes.

"Um…" Chip looked between Vida and Madison, unsure how to respond. Vida gave him an 'I hope you make a right choice…or else' look. "Sure, if you want…"

"Thank you!" Madison said, hugging Chip. "Vida flies like a speed demon…"

"Hey…" Vida replied, feeling insulted.

"Well, I fly pretty low at night, so…"

"Better."

"Oh…kay…" Chip gave Vida a slightly disturbed look. "I guess we're off." Chip nudged Tsubasa slightly with a tap of his foot. "Sleepyhead, let's go. Let's get ready to fly, low down." Tsubasa squawked as it got up and fluttered its wings in preparation of flight.

"Okay then, Bird Boy, you're sleeping on the couch. I catch you even remotely closer than that to my sister's room, the last thing you'll see is a kris as it flies into your face." Vida said as she got up on her broom.

"Good to know." Chip replied as he began getting ready to take off.

After a few moments, the quartet set off for the Rocca household. Chip smiled lightly as Madison sighed happily while setting her head down around Chip's knee.

"Well, at least you're comfortable…" Chip said, lightly patting Madison on the head.

The next morning was a scramble for the Magicians of Briarwood. Nick had left early so that he could make it to Ravenwood by lunchtime, the Rocca Sisters ended up wasting time in the morning by explaining Chip and Tsubasa's presence before the four of them left on their duties, and Xander had chosen the wrong day to sleep in.

Vida and Madison decided to pay the Marauders a visit, since Xander had told them where they lived earlier that morning. They smiled as Taliesin answered the door.

"Can I help you, ladies?" Taliesin asked, looking slightly paranoid.

"Hi, we're friends of Xander's…"

"Tallie, let them in." Esen said.

"Fine…" He set his crossbow down and let them in.

Madison wasn't sure if it was her habit of being super clean or not, but she seemed to notice that the house was in disarray much more than Vida; a small pile of scorched rags sat underneath the door stand in the entry hall, and tracks of black dust could be found leading all around the house. The main room of the house, the den, contained Oliver and Esen, who were both lying down.

"Hey Esen!" Vida said, bending down next to the coffee table to visit her friend.

"I'm trying to sleep, Miss Vida…" Esen replied.

Oliver got up, and Madison gasped. Oliver had a huge gash mark across his cheek, and his glasses were missing half of the left arm. "Are you okay there…?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Oliver replied, weakly smiling.

"What happened to you…?" Madison asked walking over to him and kneeling beside him.

"I fell on some broken glass…I'll be fine, miss." Oliver mildly blushed. "Don't worry about me, I'll be okay. I put some healing salve on it last night before I went to bed…"

"It still looks bad…I'll go get some bandages…" Madison said, getting up and walking into the bathroom.

Vida watched as Taliesin looked out the window cautiously, his hand gripped firmly on his crossbow.

"Something wrong?" Vida asked him, making him jump and fire a lightning beam into the floor that burnt through the hardwood.

"Don't talk to me."

"What's up with him?" Vida asked Oliver.

"Taliesin's just jumpy." Oliver replied.

"Oh, did you guys see those demons last night?" Vida asked. Esen looked up at Vida, and Taliesin turned around. Oliver's skin whitened ever so slightly.

"We heard about it from neighbors." Oliver quickly snapped back.

"I didn't know anybody else lived on this street." Vida replied.

"They just hide out in the homes…they don't like coming out." Taliesin replied.

Madison's scream came from a back room, and she suddenly flew out to the den and collided with Vida. Both of them slammed into a wall and slid down, stiffly positioned as they were on impact with the wall. Esen crawled out from under the coffee table and saw a woman standing in the doorway. "Well that was rude of you."

The woman standing in the doorway was dressed in an icy blue and white sari, her long platinum blonde hair combed over to one side and hanging down over her exposed shoulder, frozen in place to protect her pale skin. Her eyes were fully iced over in almost a periwinkle shade, and the rest of her face was covered in a black wrap, like a ninja.

"You're letting just anybody in this place now? I thought that's what got us in trouble in the first place." The woman replied.

"Snowgel, we know them. They're part of the Magician group working for Udonna." Oliver replied.

"Darkness takes all guises." Snowgel replied.

"We're sorry."

Snowgel waved her wand, and a Saint Pentagram teleported the Rocca Sisters away.

"So are you going to leave again?" Taliesin said coldly.

"No. If those Magicians are Earth's only hope…then Infershia shouldn't have any trouble destroying Earth." Snowgel replied.

Vida and Madison blinked as they stared down Mysteria Lane, oblivious to what had just happened to them in the Marauder's House.

"How long have we been standing here?" Vida asked.

"It feels a lot shorter than it's gotta be…I mean, the sun's moved pretty far." Madison took out her pocketwatch; it read 11:52 AM. "Hm, It's almost lunchtime; I hope Nick got to Ravenwood in time…"

Nick smiled as he arrived on his motorcycle in Ravenwood. Ravenwood may have been a sort of shady backwater town in the ghettos, but downtown was nothing but ritzy hotels, shopping centers, and the centerpiece of the town, the Portentum Tower. The Portentum Tower was a first-class hotel with a dining area on the roof that featured a pane of glass that provided a 360-degree view of Ravenwood itself. Nick had often dreamed of the elevator ride itself to reach the dining hall as a kid, let alone dining in the dining hall itself.

"Better not keep Sylvie waiting." Nick said, parking his motorcycle outside the hotel. The valet stopped him for the key, but Nick smiled and pointed to the bike, which was parking itself; something Nick had made sure he kept when changing it back from its broom form. The valet stared at him in shock, and Nick just smiled. "Latest model." He said before walking in.

Nick walked into the elevator that went straight into the dining hall, and he felt lucky that he got one to himself. He looked at his refection in the gold-lined door and frowned. He took out his wand and first stealthily froze the feed on the security camera, then began changing his outfit.

He went from a biker jacket, black pants and a red teeshirt with riding gloves to a fully formal tuxedo that looked exactly like the one he wore to prom. "No, too formal." Nick said. He tried again, changing into a pair of blue jeans, a red football jersey, and sneakers. "No, too…ghetto." Nick said. He then changed into a plain red teeshirt, a white overshirt, and a pair of black leather pants. "Way too club scene." Nick said. He then picked out a dark red jean jacket over a plain black shirt, with a pair of boot cut blue jeans and black leather dress shoes. He gave himself a once over, quickly fixed his hair and smiled. "Not bad. She'll recognize me, at least…and I don't look underdressed…at least…I think I don't."

The doors opened and Nick fixed the camera after transmuting his wand into a cell phone. The restaurant was mildly packed; not too busy, but just busy enough. Nick walked in and nearly got run over by a guy dressed in a lazy suit and tie get up.

"Hey, watch where you're-" Nick took a step back. "Toby?"

"Whoa, Nick! What's up, man? What brings you here?" Toby said. His hair wasn't as frizzed out as it usually was, and Nick nearly didn't recognize him.

"I'm here visiting my sister…what're you doing here?"

"Family get-together sort of deal. Looks like we're both here for the same reason, eh?" Toby smiled.

"Yeah, weird…" Nick replied.

"Nick!" A voice called out from the right side of the room. Nick looked over and saw a woman waving him over.

The woman was a shade paler than Nick, over a decade older than Nick, and her hair was much frizzier than Nick's, but Nick knew it was Sylvie. Sylvie wore a green and white cocktail dress, and her frizzy auburn hair was up in a giant loose bun, making it look like she had tacked a cheap bunch of paper party streamers to the back of her head. She wore sparkling snowflake-shaped diamonds in her ears, and a quaint silver necklace around her neck with several little silver charms on it.

She stood up and walked up to Nick as he approached, giving him a big hug. "Wow, you're not as scrawny as I remember you being." Sylvie said in her warm and calming tone.

"Well, lots of hard time chasing people on the street really gives you a good workout." Nick replied.

"Sit down, I ordered lunch for the both of us already. It should be here soon."

"How nice of you! I hope I'm not paying…" Nick joked.

"No, I put away some money a while back for a little party for the two of us…I'm glad we finally get to see each other again, it's been way too long…"

"Yeah, it has." Nick replied.

"So, I heard you moved out of Roftwood." Sylvie said.

"Who said that?"

"The guy you ran into coming out of the elevator…a friend of yours?"

"How do you know Toby?"

"Oh, that's Toby…" Sylvie said. "Now I know him. You used to tell me about him when you used to call."

"Sorry about that." Nick said, looking down and to the side in a self-hating manner.

"It's alright. You're a busy person; always coming and going, always on the move…" Sylvie smiled. "So, where are you now?"

"I'm just going from town to town…" Nick said, trailing off.

"You're avoiding my question, like you always would when you thought you'd be in trouble." Sylvie teased.

Nick frowned in defeat. "You won't believe me."

"I believe, Nick, in everything you tell me." Sylvie replied in a familiar tone.

Nick smiled. "Okay then…I'm staying in Briarwood, with a friend I made there."

"Briarwood? Neat." Nick gave her a look.

"You believe me?"

"Yes I do. Why, are you lying?"

"No…I just didn't think you, my older sister, the one with the head on her shoulders, would believe me."

"Like I said Nick, I believe what you tell me."

"I see…" Nick said, sighing.

"So, what're you doing in Briarwood?" Sylvie asked.

"I work…at a bakery, with the friend I made there." Nick replied. "He owns the place, and I help out a bit. I don't get paid, but I work for room and board."

"That's nice of him." Sylvie replied. Nick could only hope the meal arrived soon, because he was starting to get nervous.

Back at Rootcore, things seemed to be getting worse. Several small waves of Hideacs tried attacking Rootcore, and every attempt made to contact people on the outside proved futile.

"This is never going to end." Clare said in a despondent tone.

"Don't give up, White Magician." Clarin replied. "Your greatest strength is your courage, and that is something Infershia can't steal from any of us. Infershia can destroy dreams, hopes, and futures, but our courage gives us the power to restore them. I'm sure that Udonna taught you that."

"She taught me that courage is a strong weapon…but I don't remember her being so…poetic about it." Clare replied with a small smile.

"Courage is what makes us different from the Madoushi. Our courage that brings us out of the depths of despair and desperation, regardless of how strong or weak we may be, is something that a Madoushi will never have, nor will ever comprehend." Clarin continued.

"I see something big!" Blue said as he stood up from his seat where he had been scrying with Rootcore's crystal ball.

"Something bigger than the Wall?" Red asked.

"No, something smaller, but still big nonetheless…" As soon as the quartet saw the image, they gapsed. "Wolzard…"

"Blue! Come with me!" Red said, getting out of her chair.

"What about me?" Clare asked.

"Stay here and protect Lunagel." Red replied. Her and Blue then raced out.

"Well, nice to be working with you, too." Clare replied venomously.

Outside, Red and Blue confronted Wolzard.

"Ah, you Mahoutsukai…I defeated your friends, and I guess it's time to get rid of you, too." Wolzard taunted.

"We'll finish what they started." Red retorted, taking a powerful stance.

"They couldn't start anything against me…although I give them credit for trying…" Wolzard laughed softly to himself.

"Damn you, Madoushi!" Blue shouted. "We'll end this here! Magi Magi Gojika!" Blue fired off a water drill which Wolzard easily blocked.

"I suppose we can end this here…" Wolzard replied joyfully. "Douza Uru Zazaado!"

"Majiine Lujuna Jingajin!" Red and Blue shouted, throwing up large walls of red and blue light, respectively. The Dark Wolves, however, shattered the walls of light easily, and the attacks tossed the Magicians as if they were ragdolls.

"How could that be…?" Red proclaimed painfully. "We…we're more powerful than him…"

"He's just one Madoushi…" Blue said. "We should prevail…"

"You Mahoutsukai are weakened from years of misusing your powers…I take pity on you both…I take pity on you all."

"I wouldn't want your pity if it was the only thing you had for me!" Clare shouted, standing outside of Rootcore, Udonna's Snow Staff pointed straight at Wolzard.

"The weapon of a dead old hag held tightly in the hands of her feeble young Apprentice…I won't waste my time on you!" Wolzard laughed.

"How dare you take me for granted!" Clare shouted. "Eiszapfen!" She shot a giant ice spear at Wolzard, which hit him so hard that it chipped his Dark Knight Armor, making it flake away as puffs of black smoke. The move didn't totally throw off Wolzard's power, but it stunned him long enough for Clarin to run out.

"Lujuna Gojika!" Clarin shouted, aiming her Moon Staff's Crescent Crystal directly at Wolzard. The Crescent Crystal fired off a bolt of silver light, which smashed into Wolzard and knocked him far back while chipping away a bit more of his armor.

"I guess all I had to do to help was fire off a little spell." Clare said to Clarin, grinning.

"I guess so." Clarin replied, returning the smile.

"I tire of these games…" Wolzard's shield opened up as he sunk his sword into the ground. He grasped the handle of his shield with both hands. "Douza Uzaara Ujira Zazaado!" The shield's inner eye glowed an ominous crimson.

A Madou Circle then opened up beneath Clarin and Clare. They tried to leave, but the outer walls of the Circle trapped them inside. After a moment, dozens of Dark Wolf attacks shot up out of the ground and viciously attacked the two of them.

Clare tightly gripped Udonna's staff, driving the tip of the longsword part of it into the ground. "I can't give up…" Clare said, struggling to stay on her feet.

"What's this…?" Wolzard said. "The Apprentice…she still stands…" He growled, pouring more magic into the attack.

"There isn't anything you can throw at me that will destroy me!" Clare shouted. "I have courage, and courage is indestructible!"

"Brave words…I'll remember them when I shatter your body to bits!" Wolzard replied viciously.

A Wolf Attack surged upwards and snagged Clarin's necklace, ripping it completely off of her and smashing it. Silver bolts of lightning surged through Clarin, causing her greater pain than anything Wolzard had thrown at her so far.

An earthquake shook the ground and Wolzard drew off his attack. "The Master shall be pleased…" He said. Clare and Clarin dropped to the ground, unable to move even in the slightest. Wolzard had no problem grabbing Clarin before opening up a Madou Circle beneath them. "Come, we have Armageddon to create…" Wolzard said happily.

Nick happily began diving into his meal until he noticed that the water in his glass was shaking. A chill ran up his spine as it started to get dark outside. People started to mildly panic as the shaking got worse until, suddenly, an explosion. The schism left by the explosion created a giant hole in the run down part of town, and from it rose giant igneous rock gates surrounded by a wide wall. Sylvie turned around to catch the view Nick was getting, and she was about as awestruck as he was.

"Hey Sylvie…?" Nick said.

"Yeah, Nick?"

"You know how I used to joke about the ghetto being a Hellmouth?"

"Yeah."

"I was right all along."


	15. The Marauding Key II

Down in Wolzard's chamber, Clarin awoke in one of the numerous cells that lined the back room.

"Lunagel?" A voice called out from the cell next to hers. Clarin looked over and gasped.

"Wha…what're you doing here?" Clarin said, grabbing at the bars between them.

"An unfortunate event led me here…" The voice replied. "Why are you here?"

"I was captured after the Lunar Key was shattered."

"The Gates of Infershia are rising…?"

"Unfortunately…I feel so horrible…" Clarin cried. "That poor White Magician tried so hard…"

"White Magician…?"

"In Rootcore, the young one…she was so brave, and yet we still failed…"

"I have hope that the White Magician will be fine."

The two shared a smile until Wolzard marched in, unlocking the door to Clarin's cage.

"Say your adieus, Moon Saint. You and I have to finish this."

Clare woke up with a battered Red and Blue looking over her, dressed in more formal wear.

Red let her bright orange hair lay around her head in three long braids ended down around her elbows; two on the sides, and one in the back. She wore a long red sharp studded leather tunic, along with a pair of red leather pants, sans the studs.

Blue opted to wear his medium length black hair slicked back, its natural waviness letting it flow like the ocean. He wore a blue tunic with a puffy white shirt underneath to go along with his loose black leather pants.

"It's about time you woke up." Red said, giving Clare a dirty look.

"Well, she took a harder attack than we did." Blue replied, offering Clare a hand in standing up.

"I'm so sorry…" Clare said. "I tried as hard as I could…"

"Not bad…for an Apprentice." Red said harshly, crossing her arms. "Unfortunately, it wasn't good enough. Udonna would have fared better."

Clare became enraged. "Udonna! Always Udonna! Udonna died fighting Wolzard, ya know! She didn't do any better than any of us! She didn't try any harder than we did, and we all failed! We should be lucky that he didn't take us all down in one blow like what he did to Udonna! Udonna wouldn't have made a difference in the outcome of this fight!" Clare poked Red in the shoulder. "I'm not Udonna, so deal with it! All you have is me, and I'm apparently the strongest one here!"

"How dare you say that?" Red said, swatting Clare away from her. "I am much stronger than you! I am an elder Magician, and you're just the Apprentice who sweeps the floors and makes tea for her Mistress's guests."

"Then how come it took one measly Wolf Attack to toss you like a sack of potatoes? Madison's taken harder blows than that!"

"Oh, how is Madison?" Blue asked.

"Huh?"

"I've been worried about her…" Blue said, looking down. "I tried to save her from the demon Estrangalan…is she alright?"

"She's perfectly fine." Clare replied with a smile before turning a vicious scowl back at Red.

"Do you have anything else to say to me, Apprentice?" Red asked.

"No, I don't." Clare replied venomously, walking upstairs to her room.

"You have to admit, she's pretty courageous for standing up to you." Blue said once he heard her door slam shut.

"Yeah, but she's aiming that courage in the wrong direction." Red replied.

The ground stopped shaking in Ravenwood, and Nick ran up to the window. Dozens of Madou Circles began opening up, unleashing hundreds of Hideacs onto the city.

"Holy shit…" Nick said.

"What is it, Nick?" Sylvie asked, walking up behind him. She gasped as she saw the Hideacs. "What are those…demons…?"

"Well, they're demons alright…" Nick joked. He then got away from the window and walked towards the elevator.

A waiter stepped in front of Nick as he approached. "I'm sorry sir, but in the event of a disaster, nobody is allowed to use the elevators."

"C'mon, man, I left some stuff in the trunk of my car!" Nick lied.

"No means no."

"Aren't there stairs around here?" Nick asked.

"No, sir, there are not."

"Ugh, see if I ever come back here." Nick said, walking away.

Toby began calming the patrons. "Okay everybody, remember to hide underneath the tables if there's an aftershock…right now, the best thing you can do is get away from the windows…"

Everybody began moving towards the center of the room, including Sylvie. Nick grabbed Toby by the arm.

"Any idea how tall this Tower is?" Nick asked him quietly.

"Ugh, my niece was rattling off little trivia bits about this place about an hour ago…I think she said this place was 120 feet tall and that it took nearly four years to build. Why?"

"Wait…you're an uncle?" Nick asked him.

"Yeah. I've got two nieces and a nephew. Why?"

"The weirdest guys I know are uncles…" Nick muttered.

"Well, I ain't having any kids of my own, so…"

"Yeah. Thanks, partner."

"I thought I wasn't your partner." Toby said, pulling away and crossing his arms.

"Well, not officially." Nick smiled.

Nick began to walk away from the center of the room. Toby grabbed his arm.

"What're you doing?" Toby asked.

"Watch Sylvie for me." Nick replied.

"Nick…what are you gonna do? I know that crazy look…"

"I'm gonna fly like a phoenix." Nick replied with a sadistic grin. He shook Toby's arm off and ran top speed towards the glass while the patrons were looking the other way. The last anybody in the room saw of him was as he slammed into the glass paneling as he jumped off the dining area floor of the Portentum Tower.

Nick took out his wand-phone and transmuted it back into a wand. "Maagi Magi Majiiro!" He fell through his Magic Circle and transformed into the Red Mystic Warrior instantly. He then pointed his wand down at the ground near the parking lot. "Maaji Jijiru Majiiro!" A beam of red light burst out of his wand and flew down to his motorcycle, instantly changing it from its motorcycle from to its broom form. The broom then shot upwards towards him, catching him nearly forty feet before he hit the ground and stifling the force of gravity pushing on him. The broom buckled underneath Nick and hit the ground below. "Okay, never doing that ever again." Nick replied, lying down on his broom for a moment to recover before zooming off.

He sent a message out to the other Magicians. "Guys…we've got problems in Ravenwood. Big, stone problems."

Back in Wolzard's Chamber, Wolzard had constructed a permanent Madou Circle in the middle of the room, as well as a matching circle directly above it.

"The White Magician has taught me a thing about courage today, Madoushi." Clarin said as Wolzard began securing her wrists and ankles to the floor in the position of the four major Madou symbols.

"Really, now?" Wolzard asked, wishing to know this little story to think back on after all was said and done.

"She taught me that you can be small and insignificant, but still be brave and powerful."

"She is as weak as you are." Wolzard replied.

"No, we are strong. You may have me disarmed and weakened, but I will fight against you until I no longer breathe."

"I can assure you that your fight then will be very short."

Wolzard stood up and grabbed his shield.

"I pity your ignorance." Clarin said. "You can kill me, but you'll only seal the Gates forever that way."

"Oh, I know that." Wolzard replied as the shield opened up.

"Then why are you preparing to kill me?" Clarin replied.

"Oh, killing you is merely a side effect of unlocking you." Wolzard said. "Goo Goo Luludo."

A golden light shone from the eye, turning into shockwaves of golden energy that surged through Wolzard, driving every nerve into a painful overdrive. He howled in pain as he dropped to his knees, dropping his shield. Clarin laughed.

"The Light burns, doesn't it Madoushi?" Clarin taunted. Wolzard replied with a deep moan of agony as he fell face-first onto the ground. "I commend you on finding out the proper spell, however you did so, but I do think I forgot to warn you that a Madoushi cannot use the spell."

"We had…the Xenotome…I memorized…the spell…I thought I had…this all worked out…"Wolzard said, trying to regain his composure.

"I think this is a lesson to you, Madoushi, that Infershia shall never crush The Light."

Wolzard took another brief moment to ponder her words, then stood up again, retaking his pose with the shield in front of him, open and poised.

"Ready to hurt yourself again?" Clarin replied.

"So eager…so courageous…I'll make sure to let the Magicians know how you died with nothing but honor." Wolzard said happily. "Uu Uu Zazaare." A beam of red light shot out from the eye, and as it hit Clarin, she screamed out in pain. "You Magicians and Saints have so much honor…but you waste your time with such small amounts of power…"

A silver bolt of light shot up from Clarin, striking the Madou Circle above her and erasing it.

"The circle shall come back gradually as your life slips away. Once it is fully restored, it shall fire your energy into the Lunar Seal and shatter it, and Infershia shall be free to roam the Earth once more!"

"You…won't win…" Clarin replied.

"Just close your eyes and death will come…"

"I will never give up so long as my protectors and their allies still live." Clarin replied.

"That will be remedied soon as well, Moon Saint." Wolzard replied. "Now, you waste your breath in empty threats. I promise you that the calmer you are, the easier this will be…"

Red and Blue stared into the crystal ball and smiled. "The wall seems to be flickering on and off…"

"It is?" Clare asked.

"This may be our big break!" Red replied, hugging Blue. "This is great!"

The wall suddenly collapsed, making the trio jump for joy.

"I say we make a run for it while the wall's down!" Clare said gleefully.

"That's the smartest thing you've ever said, Apprentice!" Red replied. They grabbed their wands and ran out of Rootcore.

The trio charged for the wall at full speed, hoping to escape and reunite with their friends.

"When we get back out there, I'm going to hug Yellow for such an exemplary job at stalling Wolzard!" Red cried out.

"I'm going to greet all of the other Magicians, and formally introduce myself to Madison!" Blue shouted.

"I'm going to hug and kiss Nick and Charlie because I've missed them so much! I might even do the same to Xander!" Clare shouted. She then tripped over a tree root with neither Red nor Blue noticing. "Wait for me!" Clare shouted, getting up.

Red and Blue safely escaped the forest just as the wall began to rematerialize. They turned around and found Clare just inches away, crying from the other side.

"Oh no! Clare!" Blue said, kneeling.

"Go, you two…" Clare said, wiping her eyes. "It's okay…I'll be okay."

"Are you sure, Apprentice?" Red asked.

"Go to your friends. Tell my friends that I'm okay, will you?"

"Of course." Blue said, nodding. They both then continued their run back.

Clare sighed, getting up as Red and Blue ran off.

"This is horrid…" Clare said as she woefully trudged back to Rootcore. "I have another bumbling fit, and now I'm stuck here all by myself…what more could possibly go wrong?"

A blast went off near Clare, and the shockwave tossed her into a tree. As soon as she looked up, she saw Vankyuria standing nearby, cackling.

"Should've figured it could get worse…"

"Do I have a little white rat in the corner to feast on…?" Vankyuria joked.

"Well, you're nothing but an overgrown rat with wings, so I wouldn't call anybody that if I were you." Clare said, standing up and pointing the Snow Staff at Vankyuria.

"How dare you insult the Queen of Vampires!" Vankyuria fumed.

"It doesn't matter who you are…you're an intruder to my home, and I'll just have to evict you!" Clare shouted. "Eiszapfen!" She fired off an ice spear in Vankyuria's direction, which Vankyuria quickly dodged by jumping high in the air.

Vankyuria then dive-bombed towards Clare, hoping to catch the stunned Magician off-guard. However, Clare looked up and grinned. "Buh-bye." Clare said happily as she aimed her wand upwards. "Gelare!" A burst of super cold air rushed out from the Snow Crystal, instantly freezing Vankyuria solid. As she hit the ground, Vankyuria shattered into millions of tiny fragments.

"I'm glad you decided to 'chill out'." Clare laughed as she stared down at Vankyuria's remains. "Peace." Clare then continued her walk back to Rootcore.

Nick sped towards the Gates of Infershia at top speed, hacking through Hideac after Hideac, unable to keep up with the growing number of them. "C'mon, guys, I need you!" Nick shouted towards the skies, hoping his words would summon the rest of the Magicians.

On the other side of the gate, Branken grinned happily. "Yes…YES! The time of victory is at hand!" He shouted, thrusting the tip of his sword into the air just as a part of the Madou Circle was restored by Clarin's energy. The Gate inched open a few feet, but it was neither wide enough for Branken's hands nor blade to pierce through. However, the swarm of Hideacs surrounding Branken's feet found it pleasing to be able to leave, and they burst out of the crack in almost a mad dash. "Yes, my undead minions! Cleanse the Earth of human life! Burn their cities to the ground! Destroy every last shred of their existence!"

Nick watched in horror as the skies turned black. Nick felt like a blanket of ice had been dropped upon him, and he curled up to his broom and flew upwards.

"Why is it so cold…?"

The darkness spread across the skies, flying past the other Magicians who were midway between Ravenwood and Rothwood.

"That darkness…" Chip said. "We have to hurry. This can only mean one thing…they're breaking through the Lunar Seal."

"So they know the spell?" Madison asked, looking over at Chip from Vida's broom.

"Apparently so. This doesn't bode well for us…this means that the Gates will open…and Lunagel will die." Chip sighed deeply. "Onwards, at full speed!"

"Right!" Vida and Xander said, saluting Chip.

"No!" Madison shouted as the trio of brooms blasted off at top speed.

"Scry harder!" Red said, smacking Blue upside the head. Blue had in front of him a map of the general area, and a blue crystal hanging from a silver chain.

"You can't hurry a scrying!" Blue said. "Now, I have to concentrate…" Blue said. He set his elbow on the coffee table down below the map and let the crystal swing a bit. He then moved his crystal towards an area marked 'Briarwood' and let it hang for a few moments. The crystal swung slowly.

"Okay, so she's not in Briarwood." Blue replied. "Should I move north?" The crystal swung counterclockwise. "East?" It still swung in the same direction. "West?" The crystal continued to wing counterclockwise. "Then south it is."

The farther south he went on the map, the faster the crystal swung around. "We're onto something…" As soon as the crystal reached the center of the word 'Ravenwood', it fell to its side. "Eureka!" Blue shouted. "To Ravenwood we go!"

"Wow, why am I not surprised?" Red said disdainfully.

"Everybody, let's go!" Blue said, dropping his crystal pendulum and grabbing his staff.

"Fine, we'll go…" Red griped. "I hate Ravenwood…"

The darkness soon enveloped the forest, and Clare sighed. "I guess all I can do is hope everybody's doing okay…" A few more steps and Clare was blasted forwards by a nasty explosion.

"So, you think a little cold chill will stop me?" Vankyuria cried out. "We'll see who's chilled out by the end of this, you little bitch!"

Clare tried to get up, but she was still too shaken from the blast to move.

The second piece of the Circle reappeared, causing Clarin to shriek in pain.

"You won't succeed!" Clarin commented through gritted teeth once she stopped screaming.

"I admire your optimism, Moon Saint…" Wolzard replied.

"The Gates! They've opened wider!" Branken shouted. He then attempted to drive his blade between the Gates and succeeded in getting it halfway through. "Perfect!" He shouted. "I refuse to wait until that wench dies! I want out NOW!" He then began to pry the Gates apart.

Nick took several deep breaths and began to uncurl his body. "My element is fire…why should I be weak against the icy cold…?" He said. "The icy cold should be weak against me!" He shouted, tossing his arms out wide and donning a fiery aura. He then grabbed the handles of his broom and pulled out of the upward climb he had been in. He aimed the broom downwards in time to catch the sight of Branken's sword pressing outwards, trying to pry the Gates open. "Holy shit!"

Clare got up slowly as Vankyuria approached her.

"A natural blonde with a fresh supply of plasma…? Surprising…" Vankyuria said, licking her lips.

"Eiszapfen!" Clare shouted, firing off an ice spear at Vankyuria that, on impact, shattered.

"Foolish child…" She said, tossing her left head wing backwards with a quick flick of the neck. "I am stronger at night!"

"You don't scare me! The others have killed you before!" Clare shouted, getting up and slowly backing away.

"Look at you…running away like a frightened kitten. How adorable." Vankyuria laughed softly.

"I'm not afraid of you! I'm keeping a fair distance!" Clare replied.

"Oh please, who are you fooling?"

"I'm not afraid of you! My friends are not afraid of you!" She stopped moving and focused the Snow Crystal straight between Vankyuria's eyes.

"What are you, besides a pawn in this game…?" Vankyuria said, grabbing her chin and taking a pensive pose. "Pawns don't last long in any game. They're grunts, peons, acolytes, cannon fodder…I suppose that would be you, wouldn't it?"

"I'm not cannon fodder!" Clare spat.

"Then why weren't your friends with you here? Don't they care?"

"They care! We all care about each other! Does anybody in Infershia care about you?"

"That isn't relevant."

"Ha." Clare said smugly, grinning.

"The point is that your friends have abandoned you because you are weak, and since I prey on the weak, I have come to gladly take you off their hands."

"I am not weak!" Clare shouted. "We are not weak! I believe in them and they believe in me! What gives me strength is my belief in all of us and our abilities as Magicians…that is something even the greatest of dark magic spells can't take away from me. So go ahead, do what you want to me! Tear me limb from limb! Drain me of all my blood! I will die courageously knowing that my friends will one day avenge me!"

"Fine then. I'll make your death miserable!" Vankyuria said as he lunged at Clare.

"Pruina Vallum!" Clare shouted. A thick wall of ice crystals formed a few feet in front of the Snow Crystal, ice that came from freezing the air around the staff. Vankyuria collided with it, smashing through most of it on impact and falling backwards. It gave Clare enough time to flip the staff over, the sharp tip of the blade pointing outwards.

Vankyuria tossed out a small bat bomb, destroying the rest of the wall. She then leaped up, only to be impaled by the Snow Staff and forced back to the ground.

"Who's weak now?" Clare taunted.

The Snow Crystal began to shine brightly, temporarily blinding Clare long enough to allow Vankyuria to pull the blade out and toss Clare aside.

"Now who's the weak one?" Vankyuria cackled. "Did you really think you could defeat me, Vankyuria, the Queen of all Vampires?"

"I did…and I still do!" Clare said, aiming the still-shining Snow Crystal at Vankyuria. The crystal fired off a volley of ice crystals as if it had a mind of its own, impaling Vankyuria until she disintegrated to dust.

"What do I do now…? Clare said, getting up. She stared at the crystal intently, hoping to divine something from it. "Am I supposed to do what I think I should do…?"

Vankyuria's ashes began to swirl about, and Clare gasped. "I guess there's only one way to find out…" She gripped the black handle of the Snow Staff firmly, one hand over the other, pointing the crystal to the sky. "I hope I say this right…Maagi Magi Majiiro!"

A Magic Circle opened up beneath her, and the Phoenix symbol turned white, prompting Clare to drive the bladed end of the staff into it. The blade smashed the Phoenix symbol, leaving in its wake a white Snowflake symbol. The Magic Circle's outer rim then shot a ring of ice upwards, changing Clare's attire into a white, flexible, magic-resistant armor, with a giant chestplate which arched outwards past the shoulders in a shape emulating the Magic Circle's center symbol. A white helmet and black visor then formed over her face, and the Snowflake symbol formed on an elevated arch that started on her forehead and traveled partially upwards.

Clare removed the blade from the ground, then swung her left arm back, still holding the staff, while letting go of it with her right hand. She stood, feet parallel to her shoulders, the Snow Staff, blade pointing behind her, with her right hand's palm extended and facing forwards. "Brutal as a blizzard!"

She then swung her left arm forwards and held it parallel to her chest, holding the Snow staff parallel to her arm, letting the blade tip point to the left, all while turning her right hand upwards toward the sky and letting it imitate the way a wine glass would he held. "The Magician of snow and ice!" She then spun the blade 90 degrees clockwise and touched the ground between her feet with the tip of the blade while pulling her right arm down and regrasping the handle of the staff with it. She then shifted her left foot forwards, and without removing the connection of the blade's tip to the ground itself, angled the Snow Crystal so that it was pointing forwards at an acute angle. "Mystic Force White!"

Vankyuria reformed completely and took a step back, visibly stunned. "Well, well…you have a new look about you…dressing in a dead wench's clothes is a new trend, isn't it?"

"That dead woman was my mentor, the only mother I ever knew! How dare you insult her! You're not even fit to speak about her! Jii Magi Majika! Hail Storm!" Clare pointed the Snow Crystal upwards and turned the crystal counterclockwise 90 degrees, summoning a large black cloud to assault the field with giant frozen balls of ice which shot out of the sky like shotgun pellets. All it took was one wave to tear Vankyuria apart, but the Vampire Queen held on for dear life.

"You…little bitch!" Vankyuria shouted, tossing a bat bomb at Clare.

"Jii Majika!" Clare aimed the crystal at the bomb, freezing it before catching the now-harmless device with an open palm.

"I think this's yours." Clare replied, tossing it back. "Magi Majika!" She fired an ice spear just as the bomb came close to Vankyuria, and as the ice spear struck, the bomb went off, finishing Vankyuria off and dusting her once more. "And now to make sure you don't come back for a while…" Clare said, walking over to the pile of dust. "Majiiro Jinga Majiine." A freezing burst of ice shot out of the crystal, creating a frosty shell around Vankyuria's remains. "Heh. F7 to E8, Pawn takes Queen. Checkmate." Clare snapped her fingers, then continued her walk back to Rootcore.

Back in Ravenwood, the patrons still inside the dining area of the Portentum Tower watched in horror as the Hideacs lit the city on fire.

"Those things…" Toby muttered as he grabbed the railing on the bar next to him

"Those demons…" Sylvie replied, walking up to Toby. "Do you think Nick's okay?"

"Huh?" Toby said. "Sylvie, he just jumped out a window and plummeted 120 feet to the ground!"

"You don't have to lie to protect him. I know that's him out there."

"…You do?" Toby asked. She nodded. "So he told you?"

"No. But once I saw him flying around on that thing, I knew it had to be him. He had that paint job on his motorcycle long before he left Ravenwood. I wouldn't expect anybody else to have it, so it must be him." Sylvie smiled. "Besides…lots of weird things happen in Briarwood…lots of amazing and fantastical things…if my brother is there, I know he'd want to help them save the world…what he's become is nothing less than what I'd expect from my little brother."

"Yeah, Nick's crazy."

"Oh my god! Look over there!" A patron screamed, pointing out the window from a different part of the dining area.

Toby and Sylvie ran over with everybody else to watch as dozens of brooms with riders rose from various places in Ravenwood. Hundreds more rose up as well, swelling the ranks of the hometown defenders with a mixture of hoods, hats, robes, capes and cloaks.

"This is Armageddon, brothers and sisters!" The lead Magician cried out, pointing her staff at the Gates. "We will not let Infershia destroy the homes of the Faithless and the Faithful alike! CHARGE!" The magicians then zoomed off towards the Gates.

One magician flew past the Portentum Tower and noticed that there were people inside. She gasped and flew in through the gap that Nick left.

"Are you all okay?" She asked.

"…Jenny?" A man asked. The magician took off her hood and smiled.

"Hey Greg." She replied. "Are you okay up here?"

"What's going on?" Greg asked.

"The Gates of Infershia are opening. This world is going to be destroyed. The Mystic Warriors need our help protecting the city, so we're buying them time."

"How can we help out?" A woman asked from near the center of the group.

"Are any of you practitioners of magic?" Jenny asked.

"Magic? Are you serious?" A young man asked from nearby the other woman. "That's fairy tale stuff."

"Then tell me what's going on outside, Mike." The woman next to him said, slapping him upside the head.

"Listen to me." Jenny said. "If you believe in magic, then you can help us. If you don't, then we will protect you, regardless of your faithlessness."

"Faithlessness?" Toby asked. "I've been there, done that. I've seen this all firsthand. I believe in magic."

"As do I." Sylvie replied.

"Then, my brother and sister, protect these people."

The tower shook as Branken attempted to pry the Gates open.

"Could you at least get us out of here?" Toby asked.

"Of course!" Jenny replied. Jenny pulled a piece of blue chalk out of her pocket.

"Oh, you're a member of COUNTV, too?" Sylvie asked.

"Member? I founded it!" Jenny said. Sylvie smiled. "Okay people, get in a nice, neat circle…"

The elder Magicians entered Ravenwood's downtown area in a Saint Pentagram.

"Alright, where is Lunagel?" Red said, sounding impatient. Blue sighed.

"We're not going to find her right off the bat…"

Boom! The third part of the seal reappeared and with it, the Gates opened wide enough for Branken to drive his gnarly hands between the two Gates.

"FINALLY! MY FREEDOM IS NEARLY HERE!" Branken shouted.

"I say we try those Gates." Green suggested. "There may be an entrance to her prison near the Gates." The other four nodded and ran for the Gates.

Jenny shakily drew a chalk circle around the group as the building shook from the shock of Branken trying harder to force the Gates open. Once she was done, she smiled and stood up. "Okay, everybody huddle together, hold hands, all that good stuff." The group complied. "Okay, here I go…" Jenny took a deep breath before aiming her wand at the circle. "Kirkos Movrum." The circle glowed brightly, and the patrons disappeared into a safe haven outside the city.

One sudden heave, and Branken found himself pushing through the crack in the Gates.

"Finally! The Surface World shall feel my wrath once more!" Branken cried out happily as he began pushing his body through.

"Oh no…" Nick said.

"Nick…?" Clare's voice called out.

"Clare!" Nick happily replied. "Man, am I ever glad to hear your voice!"

"Same here."

"Are you okay?"

"I am now. The crystal ball tells me that you're in trouble, though."

"Something big's coming out from behind th-" The ground shook once more as the fourth part of the Madou Circle was restored. One final push, and Branken shot out from behind the Gates. "Well, whatever it is, it's here now…"

"That guy looks familiar…" Clare said, going over to her demon book. Once she found Branken she gasped.

"Clare, you okay?" Nick asked. Nick tried dropping down so that Branken couldn't see him.

"That's General Branken…" Clare whispered. "General Branken was said to have cut down a hundred magicians in one fell swoop with his Hellfang sword…"

"Well, he's huge! I can't imagine that thing NOT cutting down at least a hundred people in one hit."

"That was when he was human sized."

"That…that's astounding…" Nick said. The Magician Militia poured upwards and began firing magic spells of various strengths and elements at Branken.

"Is this all the world has to offer for defense…? I've been gone for nearly 20 years, and the world's defense has only grown to this…?" Branken swiped with his sword and knocked a small portion of the Militia out of the sky. Those didn't throw up a transport spell quick enough fell to their demise.

"Clare, what the hell are we supposed to do against this guy…?"

"I have an idea!" Clare said, running over to the Xenotome. "We received a spell a day or two ago that we haven't used yet because we haven't had a fight we've been unable to fight…now is a good time to try it out!"

"What's the worst it could do, really?"

"Not be useful?"

"Besides that."

"Well, you wanna try it or not?" Clare asked.

"Hit me with the spell."

"Alrighty. Maagi Magi Majika is the spell."

"Okay, got it. Russell, signing out." Nick too a deep breath and stood up on his broom. "Maagi Magi Majika!"

Nick suddenly found himself weighing the bike down. He jumped off and his feet touched the ground instantly. He continued to shoot upwards until he found himself at the same height as the Portentum Tower.

"Whoa…" Nick said.

"Wha…where'd you come from?" Branken shouted. Nick was now terrified; he only came up to Branken's chin.

"Ugh…oh crap." Nick was grateful that his sword had grown larger with him, since as soon as he could, Branken took a swing at him. Nick easily blocked it and countered, slashing Branken across the chest.

"How dare you strike me!" Branken shouted, taking a step back.

"Oh my…" Chip said as they approached spotted Nick and Branken.

"Nick's huge!" Vida said.

"No, really?" Xander replied sarcastically.

"How'd he do that?" Madison asked.

"Well, let's ask him." Chip opened up a call to Nick.

"What is it, guys? Where are you?"

"We're outside of Ravenwood right now." Chip replied.

"Get over here then! The spell's Maagi Magi Majika, and you may wanna get off your brooms first."

"Alright." Chip looked to everybody else. "You heard the man. Let's use this spell!"

"Right!" They all grabbed their wands and jumped off their brooms. "Maagi Magi Majika!" The group suddenly grew to Nick's height, and after transforming their wands into their weapons, they joined the fray.

The elder Magicians ran as fast as they could into Infershia, going unnoticed by the either celebrating or escaping denizens of Infershia. They followed a purplish light into Wolzard's lair and, to their horror, found that the last part of the Madou Circle was beginning to appear.

"You! Get out of here!" Wolzard shouted.

"Not a chance!" Red shouted. "Together!" Blue and Pink dropped to one knee, leaning the top of their staffs on the ground, pointing the ends upwards in an arc. Green and Yellow held their staffs horizontal, lightly touching the ends of Blue and Pink's staffs with the ends of theirs. Red finished off the formation by holding her staff upwards, resting the end of her staff on the end of Green and Yellow's staffs.

"Magi Jiruma Gojika Jingajin! Legend Light Bomber!" They aimed their attack directly at the eye, cracking the eye and stopping the spell while tossing Wolzard into the wall behind him and knocking him unconscious.

The Madou Circle on the ceiling shattered, returning Lunagel's life energy back to her. The Magicians waited until her life was completely restored before untying her.

"I had faith that you would come for me." Clarin said, hugging Blue and Green.

"Aw, shucks." Blue and Green replied, blushing.

"Okay, enough mushiness. We're in Infershia still so we should leave." Red said.

Clarin looked into the back room, and she saw her friend's hand, waving her away. Clarin frowned, then left with the Magicians.

The Magicians and Lunagel escaped just as the Gates closed completely ad began to sink back into the earth. Branken became pissed at this development, and even more pissed when the Mystic Force finally surrounded him, weapons aimed and ready.

"Ready guys?" Nick said.

"You bet!" The group replied.

"So the Magicians have a few tricks up their sleeves for Branken…?" Morrigan said, sitting atop the Tower. "And those little acolytes flying around zapping Hideacs…the humans are so funny…"

"Jii Majika!" The five of them shouted at once, firing off individual attacks at Branken. Branken seemed stunned at the impact, but he quickly swiped aside their attacks.

"Pathetic Mystic Warriors!" Branken shouted. "I killed hundreds of Magicians like you before!" He drove his sword into the ground and grabbed Madison and Vida by the throats, hurling them into Chip and Xander. The four of them hit the ground hard.

Even in Briarwood, residents could see the fight going on. Clare rushed out to Mysteria Lane to get a better view. As she stopped to watch, she gasped as the group looked like they were about to be defeated.

"White Magician!" A voice cried out near Clare, she turned to see Snowgel standing nearby.

"Who are you?"

"I am the Mighty Snowgel, the Saint to whom your powers are possible." Snowgel lightly bowed.

"Oh! I'm sorry I didn't recognize you!" Clare blushed nervously and covered her face.

"It's not a problem. I'm fairly certain many people don't recognize me on first sight." Snowgel blushed, her cheeks turning slightly violet for a moment. "Anyways, we must make this brief."

"What do you ask of me?"

"All I would like to know is why you aren't with your fellow Magicians?"

"Well, I was trapped in the forest for a while, but the wall collapsed, so…"

"You should go to them." Snowgel replied. "Aren't you a Mystic Warrior like them…?"

Clare realized what Snowgel meant. "Yes, yes I am…but would I get there in time…?"

"I'll handle that for you." Snowgel replied, opening up a Saint Pentagram under Clare. "Ready?"

"Maagi Magi Majiiro!" Clare transformed. "Now I'm ready."

"Away, brave White Magician!" Snowgel said cheerily as Clare was instantly transported to Ravenwood.

The elder Magicians and Lunagel returned shortly after Clare left, Snowgel smiled.

"The White Magician is a wonderful girl." Snowgel replied. "Not Udonna, but she will be."

"Just as I knew she would." Clarin replied.

"Alright, no more yapping. Everybody inside." Red said, kicking down the front door of their house.

"We aren't gonna fight Branken?" Yellow asked, obviously disappointed.

"We're done for the day…let these young Magicians have their glory." Blue replied.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Red replied.

"I need sleep, anyways." Pink said, wrapping up in her cloak and sliding underneath the coffee table.

"Fine, fine…" Yellow said, sitting in the armchair.

Clare appeared near the other five as they struggled to fight against Branken. "The spell, right. Maagi Magi Majika!" Clare shouted, rising up to the height of the other five.

"What? Another White Magician…?" Morrigan shouted, nearly falling off the top of the Tower in shock.

"Udonna!" Chip shouted happily.

"Wrong White Magician, Charlie." Clare replied.

"…Clare…?" Nick said, surprised.

"That's my name, don't wear it out!" Clare said, pointing over at Nick, then giggling while holding her hand to her helmet where her mouth would be.

"Are you just going to giggle senselessly, or are you gonna fight?" Xander asked, slightly irritated as he pushed Vida off of him.

"Hey! Careful!" Vida shouted, grabbing her staff and standing up. She smacked Xander upside the head with the pronged end of her Staff, causing him to grab the back of his helmet.

"Hey, whose side are you on?" Xander cried, standing up while grabbing his axe.

"Hey guys…the bad guy's in front of us, not between you two." Nick said, pointing the tip of his sword forwards.

"Guys!" Clare shouted. "Come here!" Branken fired off a Dark Magic Wave which they all managed to slide under while going over to Clare. "Okay, I just popped this one off the top of my head. Say it with me: Jii Jinga Majika Majiine."

"Okay." All six of them nodded their heads in agreement, then pointed their weapons at Branken.

"So, you've finally decided to fight, eh?" Branken said with a laugh. Let's see how you handle this!" He swung his sword around in an arc, gathering Dark Magic energy. "Mee Douza Megaro Zazaado! Hellfang Destruction Wave!"

"Now!" Clare shouted. The group held their weapons up, all pointing the attacking ends of their weapons to the sky.

"Jii Jinga Majika Majiine! United Magic Slash!" They all swung their weapons downwards, sending out six waves of Magical energy that smashed through the Hellfang Destruction Wave, then smashing into Branken himself.

The magic slashed into him, tearing into him and leaving him near-dead. Branken collapsed, the only thing keeping him steady was his sword. "My beloved spell…the only one I've needed…the one I've perfected over the millennia…destroyed by six measly Magicians…" Branken said between breaths. He looked up and spotted Morrigan, brandishing her crossbow. "Morrigan! Come here!"

Morrigan stifled a laugh and aimed the crossbow perfectly, firing the bolt and striking him directly through the middle of his right eye. "Infershia has no place for the dying." Morrigan replied, teleporting away as her arrow fulfilled its purpose of completely eliminating Branken from existence.

"Did…Morrigan just help us…?" Vida asked.

"She wasn't helping us, she was helping herself." Xander replied.

"Okay, I'd like to shrink back down…" Madison said, clinging to the nearest thing: Chip's arm.

"Agh! Hey! Off!" Chip said, shaking her off.

"I'm terrified of heights!" Madison screamed.

"Did you happen to read the part about how we reverse this?" Nick asked Clare.

"Um…it didn't have a reversal spell." Clare replied nervously.

"Great! Now we're stuck being this big forever!" Vida said, throwing her hands up in the air.

"NO!" Madison screamed, grabbing Chip's arm again.

"I said get off of me!" Chip replied, struggling to push her off.

"Well, what spell do you guys normally use to get out of your Armor?" Clare asked.

"Majiine." Nick replied.

"Alright then. Majiine." Clare slowly shrunk down to normal size, dropping out of transformation once back at her normal height.

"Hey, what do ya know? It worked!" Vida replied, putting her hands together while bending down to look at Clare. "Majiine!" Vida shrunk down as well.

"Majiine!" Chip shouted, hoping that he could shrink his way out of Madison's grasp. Unfortunately, he only managed to shrink down to the size of her palm, still within her grasp. She nearly dropped Chip, causing him to panic. "For the moment, I understand your acrophobia." Chip replied. "Put me down right now!" He shouted.

"Oh no, I'm sorry!" Madison replied, gently setting him down. "Majiine!" Madison shrunk down, sighing and turning around once she was done.

"Majiine!" Xander and Nick both said, shrinking down back to normal at the same time.

A crowd of people, Faithless and Faithful alike, swarmed around them after a moment, cheering. Xander, as he normally did, began to hit on ladies as they came up to him.

"Act professional." Vida said, elbowing Xander in the ribs.

"Ow!" Xander said, grabbing the point of impact. More and more people from Ravenwood and Briarwood seemed to come to surround them, and Nick thought it too much.

"Hey, everybody!" Nick said, raising his arms. The groups fell silent. "Now, this town is pretty trashed, so we obviously can't hold any sort of celebration here."

"How about we all hold it in Briarwood?" Clare suggested. A rise of cheering voices sounded off. "Sounds like a plan!" The crowd cheered.

Sylvie and Toby walked up to Nick, smiling.

"Oh…hey guys." Nick sheepishly said, scratching the back of his head in nervousness.

"That was a great job, Nick." Sylvie said.

"Ah, don't mention it."

"So you guys've been working on that kind of stuff…?"

"Well, that last spell what made up on the fly thanks to our amazing Clare-" He said, pulling a blushing Clare close to him. "but we generally don't grow to the size of large buildings, or take down giants, or anything of that sort."

"So, we're all going to Briarwood…?" Toby asked. "I may have to change my clothes!"

"Not a problem! Regalia Magi!" With a flick of his wand, Toby's clothes were changed into a hoodless cloak.

"Whoa, cool." Toby replied.

"To Briarwood!" Chip said, pointing in the general direction of the magical town. The group summoned their brooms, which prompted many in the crowd to summon their own brooms and taking to the skies.

After a victory flight to Briarwood, preparations to hold a town-wide festival to celebrate the re-closing of the Gates were set into motion.

Down in Infershia, Wolzard rose slowly, dazed. "Where…am I…?"

He stood to his feet, holding his head and grabbing his shield. He walked into the back room and surveyed the area. He spotted one of his prisoners and gasped. "You…what are you doing here…?"

"You brought me here." The prisoner replied as Wolzard approached.

"Why would I…ugh…" Wolzard collapsed in front of the cell.

"Some things we will never know…" The prisoner replied, running a freezing hand over the back of Wolzard's helmet.

In the forest, Morrigan had a plan. "Mistress…?"

She came upon the patch of ice that contained the ashes of Vankyuria and gasped. "What has that disgusting human done to you…?" She said, picking up the block of ice. "I'll fix you, my Mistress…" She teleported down to Infershia, her mistress's remains well in hand.


	16. Interlude: The Parting Of Ways

_Behold! The end of Act One of Heaven and Hell! I would like to thank everybody who's read and everybody who's reviewed. Your loyalty since the beginning has touched me deeply, and I can only promise that Act Two will get the same amount of consideration and careful attention paid to it as the First Act has. Thank you all so very much. I hope you enjoy this little milestone in the story as much as I enjoyed writing it._

Back in Briarwood, Clare and the rest of the Mystic Force decided to visit the Marauders to check up on them. Clare knocked on the door, and waited a moment before the door flew open. Clarin stood on the other side, in civilian clothes.

"Oh, hello!" Clarin said with a cheerful tone. "All of you, congratulations!"

The six Mystic Warriors smiled and thanked her.

"Would you all like to come in?" Clarin asked.

"Of course!" Clare said.

As they walked inside, they found boxes lined up against the wall, packed over a Saint Pentagram; one box with a different Marauder's name on it, including Clarin's.

"Are you guys moving?" Madison asked.

"We're seeking shelter elsewhere; Crystal's given us a place in her realm to stay and all…" Clarin replied.

"Crystal…has a realm…?" Xander asked as they walked into the living room.

In the living room sat six people that nobody fully recognized. A young woman with long platinum blonde hair sat next to a slightly older male with wavy black hair at the coffee table, staring into a crystal ball, occasionally taking notes. A man with wild blonde hair stood at the window on the far edge of the room in rough brown leather armor, firing lightning arrows from a well-crafted steel longbow into a Saint Pentagram that had been turned into a target. A woman with long red hair set in three long braids sat brooding over a book of advanced spells. A woman with long brown hair that was covering her face lie sleeping underneath the coffee table, and a man with medium length brown hair and glasses sat far off in a corner, tending to some plants.

"Hey, look who's come to visit!" Clarin shouted, causing the blonde to miss his target.

"Clarin…" He scolded while looking over at her. He then smiled when he saw the Mystic Force. "Hey! The heroes have come to visit!"

Blue perked up. "Madison!" He went to get up, but he smacked his knee. "Agh…ow…" He sat back down, holding his knee.

Red looked up. "Oh. Hi." She brusquely replied before going back to her book.

"Hey guys! Nice job out there!" Snowgel said, giving a wide smile before going back to her scrying. "Especially you, Clare. I'm happy to have you amongst my ranks."

"Thanks." Clare blushed and meekly hid her face.

"Oh hun, don't be shy!" Snowgel replied. "All of you, come on in." She looked over at Yellow. "Tali, put that thing down before you kill one of our guests."

"They should be able to move around my shots." He grinned.

"Duck while you come in." Clarin replied.

The Mystic Warriors walked in, taking Snowgel's advice and ducking. Clarin went into the kitchen to get some customary guest treats.

"So, what brings you guys here?" Blue asked.

"Well, we came to check up on the Marauders…but I guess they're okay." Madison replied. Yellow smiled before taking the next shot. "Are they all out or something?"

Pink yawned and squirmed out from the coffee table. "Hi, Magicians." Pink said, clinging to the blanket she was wrapped in under her cape. "Sorry I'm so tired…I'm a bad hostess." She yawned loudly, rubbed her eyes, then sat next to Vida. "Hello Miss Vida." Pink said, giving a sleepy smile.

"Um, hi." Vida replied.

"So, are the Marauders outside with some friends? Are they okay?" Madison asked again.

"They're fine." Blue replied in a soft tone.

"Ooh…Connie likes Miss Maddie!" Pink teased.

"Not as more than friends." Blue replied. "And what have I told you about calling me Connie? That's a girl's name."

"Connie Connie Connie!" Pink continued to tease.

Blue huffed softly, ignoring Pink's jokes.

"Aw, be nice, Connie…we'll be leaving soon, and you'll have to deal with her the entire trip!" Green replied from his corner.

"Connie…" Madison smiled. "It's a nice name."

"So what is your real name?" Clare asked. "I never got your names while you guys were hanging around Rootcore."

"My name's Conway." Blue said, then turning an evil eye towards Pink. "Not Connie."

"Con…way…?" Madison said, blinking.

"Mhm. I'm a lot more taller and handsome than I used to be. Admit it." Conway joked, winking. Chip's eye twinged for a split second.

"Wait, so you're…" Vida said, pointing at Pink.

"Esen. Mhm." Pink replied, rubbing her eyes. "Man, all this work lately's made me so darn tired…" Esen fell to her side.

"And Bridget…" Nick pointed to Red. "And Taliesin…" Nick pointed to Yellow. "And Oliver…" Nick pointed to Green. "And Crystal." Nick finished by pointing at Snowgel.

"Bullseye." Taliesin said, firing off another arrow.

"What happened to you guys?" Xander asked.

"Oh, we had to take disguises." Bridget said, looking up from her book. "We had to hide out to keep Clarin safe."

"That went ever so well, didn't it?" Oliver said sarcastically.

"I see." Clare said. "So why did you guys even bother coming to Briarwood? Why couldn't you hide in Ravenwood?"

"They were onto us in Ravenwood. I'm not sure why some of them stayed, though. They left the area a couple of years ago, and we got afraid that they'd find us, but we had gotten so comfortable in Briarwood, that we decided to stay." Crystal replied.

"So, is everybody hungry?" Clarin asked, walking out with a large tray of tea time delights.

"Ooh, food!" Taliesin said, setting his bow down and walking over to the dining table as Clarin set the tray down. Everybody else followed, and Vida kindly woke Esen up.

After getting settled, the table was set, and the collective Magicians dived into the trays, all quickly saying a quick meal prayer before eating. Clarin watched as the crew ate happily and conversed.

"This is pretty good tea." Vida said, taking an extra long sip. "It doesn't need honey or anything."

"Vida usually drinks a sugary liquid called 'tea' at home." Madison joked.

"Hey." Vida said, giving her sister a look.

"That sounds like Tali." Esen joked. Taliesin gave a slightly embarrassed look.

"Oliver and I grow our own special blend for visitors, guests, and special occasions." Clarin replied.

"Clarin, sit down and enjoy!" Crystal said, pulling out a chair for her fellow Saint.

"I guess I could use a cup of tea…" Clarin said, sitting down.

The baker's dozen enjoyed a few more moments of hilarity, until Oliver began levitating things off the table. Bridget fumed and fired a bolt of magic off, which missed and knocked over Nick's teacup and splashed the hot brew all over his lap. He jumped up and knocked Xander, chair and all, backwards, and screamed in pain. Oliver's concentration broke, causing all of the levitated items to crash down. The kettle of tea splashed down, scorching Vida and Madison, who got up with pained looks on their face.

"Ow, ow, burn!" Nick screamed. Madison quickly drained the water out of his, Vida's, and her own clothes with a Liquid Levitation spell, setting the tea back in the teapot. Nick, Vida, and Madison then sat back down and Xander readjusted his chair.

"You really need to drink the caffeinated tea, Bridget." Esen said.

"Sorry about that." Bridget said.

"What a horrible way to end our final meal here…" Clarin said.

"It could've been worse." Chip said. "I mean, I could've gotten tea dropped in my lap or on my head too!" The group laughed.

"Let us all rise, together." Clarin said, raising her arms up. All of them slowly got out of their seats together. "I propose a toast. To our fellow Magicians, may you always keep Briarwood and the rest of the world safe from Infershia."

"To our fellow Magicians." The Marauders, Snowgel, and Lunagel said together.

"And to our fellow Magicians and lady Saints, may you be forever safe from Infershia's tyranny." Nick said.

"To you guys." The Mystic Warriors said.

"Hell, I'll drink to that." Chip said, finishing off his cup of tea and causing the rest of the group to laugh.

"Now, I hope everybody's had their fill, because we'd better get going before Infershia gets the chance to chase us again." Snowgel said. A general groan of dismay rose from the group. "C'mon, guys and gals, you've had your fun…"

"Plus, we've all gotta get ready for the festival tomorrow." Xander added.

"Sure, Xander's the first one to mention it." Vida joked.

"Hey, I'm a hero, and I want to celebrate after a tough and victorious battle!" Xander replied.

"Yeah, with every woman from Ravenwood and Briarwood in attendance!" Madison jokingly added.

"Hey, if they wanna party, I'm game." Xander replied with a slick grin.

Nick coughed. "We should go then." Nick slightly bowed and smiled. "It's been great meeting you all, and we hope that, someday, we'll all meet again."

"I hope we do too." Conway said. "You guys are the funniest group of people we've ever been in attendance with, and I do think I speak for all of us when I say that we've been completely honored to meet you all and fight Infershia alongside you. We're proud to see our future looking so bright." Conway then sighed deeply. "Parting is always such sweet sorrow."

Chip smiled. "We just gotta remember…to remember everybody here, as we are now, and hope that one day, we'll all be here again, sitting around this table, making jokes, drinking tea, and making more happy moments exist."

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Clarin replied.

"Alright, enough of the mushy stuff. Get your junior Magician asses outta my house." Red said, pointing for the door with a smile. "You don't have to go home, but you sure as hell can't stay here."

The six Mystic Warriors smiled as the left the dining room and exited the house. After a few minutes' time, Chip turned around and watched as a brilliant flash of light burst through the windows of the house, then disappeared as suddenly as it came.

"You miss them already, Charlie?" Clare asked, stopping and turning towards him.

"It just reminded me…reminded me of what I've learned thus far since I escaped from Infershia." Chip said. "Everything comes to an end eventually. But with every end, there is a light, a light signaling a new beginning."

"And thus life begins once more." Clare said, wrapping her arm around Chip's. "Like sands in the hourglass, these are the-"

"Oh, that's so cliché, Clare." Chip said. "Let's just go home."

Down in Infershia, Morrigan released her mistress from her icy urn, then bowed down as Vankyuria re-emerged.

Vankyuria scoffed at the sight of her exiled servant. "Why are you here?" She snapped.

"Mistress, I come to tell you that General Branken has been destroyed by the Magicians."

Vankyuria gasped in horror. "Not Branken!"

"I am afraid so, Mistress." Morrigan replied.

"I will need time to think about a course of action and to carry it out…"

"Tomorrow, there will be a festival in Briarwood. The humans will be too busy celebrating to think about fighting."

"Wonderful." Vankyuria replied. "If I am to travel and not return by the time the Festival is over…think of something to do!"

"I have a plan in mind if you do…" Morrigan replied.

"Good…very good…" Vankyuria praised. "Now get out of my sight."

"Yes, Mistress." Morrigan replied, getting up and walking out.


	17. Festival Of The Saints

The denizens of Briarwood awoke to a town filled with joy and celebration. All of the stores were closed, and banners of the five core colors lined the rooftops. Symbols of the six branches of magic that the Mystic Warriors represented lined the windows of young children's bedrooms, everybody was wearing a branch-specific outfit, and some people from Ravenwood even began their first day of magic training in the town square.

Xander hadn't slept a wink all night, as he had been busy to have a party with the rest of the team at his home, and had decided upon fully decorating his backyard with Acantha assisting him.

Madison and Vida began making costumes for some of the townspeople, and had also set aside to make ones of their own.

Chip, Clare, and Tsubasa had left Rootcore early to join in with the early morning festivities, and had decided upon making their own costumes as well.

Nick, however, found himself at one of the many packed inns in town, sitting in a chair, relaxing with his sister and his long time friend.

"So Nick, I can see that you're very happy here." Sylvie said, looking for an appropriate dress from her bag.

"I'm pretty happy. I mean, I don't get paid much, but I also rarely need money. It kinda balances. Plus, I'm pretty much doing what I've always dreamed about on a much larger scale then I ever dreamed of doing."

"I thought I remember a certain somebody saying they loved being a cop more than anything in the world…" Toby said.

"Well, that's the thing. I get to be a much stronger type of cop. I'm a bigger hero than I ever dreamed of being. I've always wanted to do something like this. To save the world, to protect the innocent! This is the ultimate version of my childhood dream!"

"And you are a hero." Sylvie replied, pulling out a light grey dress. "Do you think this'll do?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine!" Nick replied.

"Just fine?" Sylvie asked, mocking his tone.

"I mean, just don't worry about it."

"This is a big party! I want to look nice!" Sylvie replied.

"That dress looks nice. I think you could really live it up in that." Toby added.

"You think?" Sylvie asked.

"Of course." Toby replied.

"Well, if both of you think so…" Sylvie smiled, then walked into the bathroom.

"Touchy." Toby said.

"She's always been jumpy." Nick replied.

Down in Infershia, Vankyuria brooded over her new choices. "I could run Infershia on my own…" Vankyuria smiled, but then quickly frowned. "No, no…Wolzard would never let that be…" She grabbed her goblet of wine and swirled the drink around a bit. "Wolzard should never be in charge…he doesn't like my ideals…" Vankyuria then got a brilliant idea. "Oh! Why hadn't I thought of this before? Perfect!" She tossed her goblet to the floor and flew off.

Meanwhile, Morrigan walked into Wolzard's chambers, where the armored Madoushi was slumped on his throne, giving off an impression that he was fatigued.

"Mas…ter…Wol…zard…?" Morrigan slowly spoke to test his alertness. Wolzard growled in response. "Master, I have a request to make."

"What?" He grumbled.

"I have a plan…Mistress Vankyuria may or may not need it…but if she does…will you cooperate?"

"Is this another game?" Wolzard asked, sounding groggy.

"No, Master Wolzard! This is all for the Master's plan!"

"If it is for our Master, then I shall assist you, half-breed."

Nick sighed, then looked at Toby. "I'm bored."

"On this day of celebration? How could you be? This is your big day!" Toby replied, lightly punching Nick in the shoulder.

"I wanna race." Nick replied, seemingly depressed over the matter.

"Well, I'm game. I'll get a pair of sneakers on, and we can go out-"

"Not that kind of race." Nick replied, bouncing his leg up and down.

"Oh…a different kind. I get it."

Nick continued bouncing his leg up and down for a few minutes until Sylvie came out of the bathroom in her dress. Nick smiled momentarily, then went back to moping.

"That looks nice on ya." Toby replied, smiling.

"What's wrong, Nicky?" Sylvie said, hugging Nick.

"He wants to race." Toby replied.

Sylvie smiled. "Well, I'm pretty sure I know how to fix that." She turned around and dug into her bag, pulling out a small box and handing it to Nick. "This is a gift for you."

Nick looked inside, then quickly closed it and handed it back. "I can't."

"Take it, or I'll punch you!" Sylvie said.

"Sylviana Gwendolen Russell, I refuse to take this gift, and if you don't take it back, I'll punch you…twice as hard."

"Oh, so you think using my full name is gonna intimidate me?" Sylvie replied. "I can do it too!"

Nick's eyes widened. "Oh no…"

"Oh yes…Ulric!" She then bent down and attempted to tickle Nick. "Nicky Ulric! Nicky Ulric!" She began to sing.

"Ah! Shut up! I give! I give!"

Toby laughed. "Now if only my brothers were this non-violent with each other…"

"Okay! I'm going! With the box!" Nick said, walking out the door after getting Sylvie away from him. As he walked to the other side of the doorframe, he turned back around. "And I'm keeping this box!" He then closed the door.

"You gotta love those times when he acts like he's six again." Sylvie said, smiling while sitting down on the bed.

"Well, I say we hit the town while he's out. What do ya say?" Toby replied.

"I'd like to look around Briarwood." Sylvie replied, standing back up.

"Let's go then." Toby said, opening the door for Sylvie. "Ladies first."

"What a gentleman." Sylvie replied.

Madison and Vida were on the other side of town an hour later, decorating the main stage in the town square for the night's festivities.

"Maddie, are you excited?" Vida asked, setting a few roses around the circular base of the stage.

"I guess." Madison replied.

"You GUESS?" Vida asked, surprised. "You know Xander's parties; they're the talk of the town, and since you and I are in with him, we're one of the exclusive guests!"

"Yeah…" Madison replied with a distant tone.

"What's wrong?" Vida asked, setting down her flower basket.

"This just feels awkward." Madison replied.

"What does?"

"Us winning this quickly."

"Hey, Infershia wasn't as tough as it thought it was once we started stopping them!" Vida said, throwing her tough girl tone into every syllable. "Today is a day to celebrate! Hell, we might even be partying forever!"

Madison smiled lightly. "I guess we can be happy today." After a few more minutes of flower arrangement, she looked up again. "What about Vankyuria and Morrigan?"

"Ah, who cares?" Vida said, flicking her wrist as if discarding the thought from in front of her.

"I guess…"

"Something else's bugging you…I know it!" Vida replied.

"I…I hope Chip will stay with us." Madison replied.

"Why? Did he say he was going somewhere…?" Vida said, walking over to Madison's side.

"I just have this…horrible feeling that Chip is going to leave us now that we've beaten Infershia." Madison replied, turning red.

"Aw, don't worry, sis. He's got Clare and Tsubasa here. He won't leave us."

Madison sniffled lightly. "I hope not."

"If he leaves us, I'll personally hunt him down and kick his ass for you."

"Vida…"

"Well, he needs a good ass kicking for all the grief he's given us!"

Madison laughed. "He has been quite the troublemaker, hasn't he?"

"He tried to kill me!"

"Well, you deserved that one. You wiped out his family."

"Don't blame that on me! That was an accident!" Vida replied, getting defensive.

"Hey you two! Get back to work!" Their father shouted. "I'm getting paid to have you girls decorate the stage, not chatter!"

"Yes, dad." They replied, setting things back up.

Nick arrived in Ravenwood at a place he hadn't been in years.

"Well, well, well, looks like that little kid down the street grew all up on me, eh?" The man behind the counter of the shop replied. The man was a fair height, built like an ox, with his slick black hair set back in a rat tail. A graying beard was the only sign that the man had gotten any older since Nick had seen him last.

"Hey Tony. What's up with you, old man? Shop still keeping tight?" Nick asked, slipping into his old vernacular.

Tony had been the first guy in town to employ Nick when he was 16, and the paychecks he got from working had allowed him to pay his way through academy training. If it wasn't for Tony, he didn't know where he'd be.

"Business is good, but it just hasn't been the same since ya left. Heard ya skipped town to become a cop, eh?"

"Yeah, yeah." Nick replied, shoving his hands into his pockets and taking a sort of slumped pose.

"Out walkin the beat, bustin up the shitheads and scumbags?"

"Yeah, not all the time though. They have me working behind a desk sometimes. It's not all fun and games down at the precinct."

"Ah well, we can't all have fun, right?" Tony said, slapping Nick hard on the shoulder. "So, what brings you back here?"

"Well Tony. I need a few favors. A couple people I know are havin a party, and I wanna surprise them with a little…something-somethin." Nick said, leaning on the counter.

"Ah, you're a great kid, but it's gonna cost ya."

"I can handle it." Nick said.

"Okay then. Whatcha got in mind?"

"I need my old kit, and four of them models like the one I got."

"Colors?"

"If you've got the original black, that'd be awesome."

"I think we got four of 'em. And I left ya kit in the back, just in case you'd come back."

"Perfect. You're the man, Tony."

"You better believe."

"Oh, I believe, alright." Nick said, following Tony into the workshop.

Briarwood was slowly becoming a playground for the masses, but far away, in an isolated location, the only living denizens were far from celebrating.

"Master! Master!" A large, bipedal white cat wearing black body armor and a red sleeveless coat ran shouting into a wide chamber deep beneath the sands of an endless desert.

A seemingly lifeless golden statue opened its eyes, blinking as it adjusted to the torchlight. The living statue looked like an ancient Egyptian relic possibly built to worship Ra himself, between the solar disk on the helmet's forehead and the wing motif through its entire body, including the sword it held, blade down.

"I was about to strike you down." The statue spoke, although a mouth could not be seen. "Next time, scream sooner."

"Yes, master." The bipedal cat bowed, letting the long red feather that was connected to its forehead with a bright blue gem bob around.

The statue moved from its pedestal, taking the sword along in its right hand as it walked. "Now, why have you disturbed my slumber, servant?"

"I have depicted a great disturbance in the desert, master…a dark disturbance." The bipedal cat's voice sounded nervous.

"What kind of dark disturbance?" The statue asked.

"An…Infershian kind."

The statue seemed shocked. "I see." The statue placed a hand to its chin. "A plan must be enacted then."

"I am ready to serve, master." The bipedal cat replied, bowing once more and grinning, baring its golden fangs.

"I have the perfect task for you." The statue said, sounding happy. "I want you to seek out the Magicians."

"Magicians, master…? They were destroyed in the war."

"Why would Infershia go grave digging if they didn't have any resistance…? Surely somebody's confronting them and defeating their soldiers. They not be the Magicians we knew, but there are Magicians; I'm sure of it."

"I understand. I shall go out into the world and find these Magicians as you have ordered!" The bipedal cat replied, saluting.

"Take a Disk with you. I would like to keep in touch."

"Will do, Master!" The bipedal cat said, still saluting.

"Now go!" The statue said, pointing towards the room's entrance.

"Right away!" The cat replied, turning tail and running out, remembering to grab a Disk emblazoned with an ornate 'S' on the back.

Back at Xander's house, Acantha was following Xander around with a platter of food.

"Acantha, place that in the kitchen." Xander said, pointing to the tray.

"Yes, sir." Acantha said, walking into the kitchen. "Do you need anything from the kitchen?"

"Ugh, yeah. Bring that silver teapot into the den; in fact, bring the entire tea set and set it on the coffee table."

"Yes, sir!" Acantha happily walked into the kitchen.

Xander stopped in front of a mirror and took a quick look-over, making sure his outfit looked sharp. He popped the collar up on his cloak, smoothed some wrinkles on his shirt out manually, then checking over his hair one last time.

"No, no…it's all wrong…" Xander said, pouting. He then got a brilliant plan. "Well, if I don't practice spells, I won't get any better." Xander closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay…Terran Toccare."

He ran his hands through his hair, instantly transforming every strand of hair into a stiff bedrock-like spike, giving his hair the appearance of an orderly row of mini stalactites. Xander smiled, flirting with the mirror. "Hey there. The name's Xander Bly. May I interest you in a drink…?"

"Master Xander…?" Acantha said, knocking Xander out of his soiree with the mirror.

"Yes?" Xander asked shakingly, turning around.

"Nice hair, sir." Acantha said, smiling.

"You think?" Xander asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yes. Very nice."

"Did you need something, Acantha?" Xander asked.

"Um, yes. What chairs should I bring outside…?"

"Bring those oak set outside to the marble circle, and then ground them, would ya?"

"Yes sir! Should I put up the canopy as well?"

"No, not until dusk. Right now, you'll just make it a heat trap out there."

"Yes, sir!" Acantha walked upstairs. Xander then turned back to the mirror.

"So, how about that drink…?"

Down in Infershia, Wolzard had given Morrigan guard duty over a wing of cages. Creatures of all kinds were chained up and confined behind the magically created bars, and Morrigan despised them all. One cell in particular gave her the creeps. She stopped in front of it and snarled.

"Why are you standing, prisoner?" She hissed.

"I can stand if I want." The voice replied.

"Has Wolzard given you permission to stand without punishment?"

"No. Do you plan to punish me for standing?"

"Oh, if you keep up with your mouth, you'll be lucky if you can stand on your own."

"Does Wolzard know how you run your mouth?"

"Why you little-" She growled and lunged and the bars partially, stopping when the prisoner flinched. "I'm in a good mood. I'll let you live." She smiled as she turned around to start walking down the line of cells again. "I'm sure the Magicians will thank me for sparing you later...that is, if they live to see you." She walked off.

"Oh, they will…" The prisoner replied, approaching the gates. "but I doubt you'll live long enough to see it happen."

Morrigan scowled, but she let the comment slide as she walked off.

On the other side of the world, Vankyuria walked in the sand, drawing closer to her destination.

"I feel his energy…he is alive…they both are…I can remedy that, though." Vankyuria smiled. "Nearly twenty years of slumber should've dulled that golden wonder to near frailty…" She chuckled lightly to herself. "He should be no problem."

As she approached a large, half-buried temple, she smiled. "Welcome to Paradise." She said to herself. "Infershia's rebirth is at hand…"

Back at Rootcore, Tsubasa skipped around joyously as Clare tried to put him into the costume she made for him. "C'mon, Tsubasa. Be nice to Auntie Clare!" Clare said, trying to get the cowl on him.

A clanking noise started charging downstairs, followed by Chip screaming a battle cry. A few seconds later, the battle cry changed to an "Oh, shit!", followed by the sounds of a full suit of armor falling down a flight of stairs. Clare looked back to find a yellow-tinted suit of armor sprawled out at the bottom of the stairs by the dais, looking defeated.

"I knew I made the shoes too pointy." Chip's muffled voice rose from the suit of armor. Chip sat up and the visor clanked and covered his face. "Dammit." His voice echoed as he got up. Chip's armor was easily recognized by Clare; from its jagged angles to its yellow tint, Clare knew he was dressed as Volgel.

"Nice Volgel costume, Charlie." Clare said with a smile.

"Thanks. I worked-" Chip huffed and lifted the visor up. "I worked on it all-" The visor clanked back down. "night….bah."

"Very nice." Clare replied. She then continued to struggle to get Tsubasa's costume on. "C'mon! Be nice!"

"What's your costume supposed to be?" Chip asked.

"I'm a Snow Sprite!" Clare replied happily. As soon as she got the cowl on Tsubasa, she frowned. "Ugh!"

"What's wrong?" Chip asked, walking over.

"He's already grown out of the costume by a quarter inch…" Clare griped.

"That's easily fixable." Chip replied. He pulled his sword out of the holster he had made for it, changing it back into his wand. "Gorgia!" He said, pointing the wand at the cowl. It grew to fit Tsubasa's head.

"God, he's already up to my hips…" Clare said, standing up.

"He'll be at least eight and a half feet tall standing on all fours by the time he's my age, I swear." Chip said, smiling forlornly. "Just like his mom."

"Icaryia wasn't just tall to me, was she?" Clare asked.

"She was taller than I am." Chip replied. "At least six feet even, without heels."

"Wow…"

"Yeah. It was intimidating having such a tall sister. Everybody looked up to her, whether they admired her or not." Chip smiled.

"Ha. I gotta admit, you're fairly tall too."

"Eh. I might reach her height if I'm lucky." Chip replied, sighing. "I hope that, in time, I'll be just like her...brave, strong, enduring, and tall."

"Well, you've got the tall thing down…you tower over Madison." Clare joked. "Well, except for yesterday."

"Heh, yeah." Chip replied. "That was something I hope never happens again."

"So, shall we head out towards Briarwood?" Clare asked.

"The Knight, the Sprite, and the Steed shall descend upon Briarwood in good time." Chip replied, attempting to imitate a knightly tone.

"Okay, Sir Dorkly." Clare replied, playfully punching Chip's shoulder.

"Hey…" Chip said, frowning.

Vankyuria descended into the ruined temple, wasting no time avoiding the traps set to destroy intruders. She shadow strafed around false floor tiles and around trigger panels, making full use of her lesser used ability. She quickly split into Nai and Mae as a pillar swung down from the ceiling, pressing up against the walls. The walls shot spikes out, injuring both of them horribly, but they combined quickly enough for the injuries to be repaired by the darkness surrounding them.

"Foolish Saints, thinking they could stop anybody from coming in here…" Vankyuria commented to herself. She walked into the main chamber of the temple and grinned. "The hardest part seems to be just finding this place…"

The room was covered in ancient writing and pictures depicting the Great Wars that had occurred countless times over the ages. There was always a bloody massacre occurring on both fronts, every fight costing each side much suffering and pain, and ultimately, ending in a devastating stalemate of sorts. Vankyuria sighed, seeing the pictures of the comrades she had lost over the centuries depicted in gory scenes surrounding their deaths.

"I wonder why…" Vankyuria said to herself. "I wonder why we always suffer like this…" She looked down. "We never win…nobody ever does…" Vankyuria sighed, looking down. "This time we will crush them, tear them apart…" Vankyuria clenched her fists and walked forwards, towards the tomb in the center of the room.

A golden statue stepped forwards, aiming the tip of its blade at Vankyuria's chest as it walked forwards. "Step away from the chamber, Vampire Queen." The statue said.

"Make me, Sungel." Vankyuria replied.

"Very well. Since you've asked." He firmly gripped his sword handle with both hands and charged at Vankyuria. She cackled and shadow strafed around his blade, returning to the living plane and extending her claws, driving them into his left shoulder as he passed her. He howled in pain, turning around.

"Please, I wish not to kill you now, you old Saint. Stand down." Vankyuria said, tossing her wing headpiece back with a quick flick of her neck.

"I have guarded this chamber for nearly two decades, Vampire Queen. I will not just give it over to you." He aimed his sword tip at Vankyuria. "Goo Gojika!" A beam of sunlight shot out at Vankyuria, who once again attempted to shadow strafe. Unfortunately, the beam struck her in mid-strafe, burning her painfully. She howled as she was forcefully flung out of teleportation and hurled across the room. She lied motionless on the floor as Sungel approached her. He poked her a few times with his sword, finally pleased with the thought of vanquishing her. He turned around slowly, returning to his post.

He hadn't moved ten feet away before a series of sharp pains shot up from his liver, paralyzing him in shock.

"I am a servant of darkness, and I thrive in it." Vankyuria said softly, her deep voice sounding much more menacing than usual. "You should take my note…you shall thrive as well…darkness is around us all…embrace it in your final moments, as dear Raigel has, and you will live forever…you will see tomorrow's sun." She grinned, removing her claws from his back, letting him drop to the ground.

"The sun is falling out of the sky today…and the world shall live in darkness forever…" She smiled, walking over to the chamber in the middle of the room, quickly smashing the various locks on it with her claws. She removed the mummified corpse from the box, pulling it tightly to her body. "Come. The world is yours to have now…" She shadow strafed out of the building, the mummy in tow.

Back in Briarwood, noon was approaching, and Madison and Vida were taking their lunch break with their dad and his crew of carpenters.

"Ah, the lovely ladies are here." Mr. Rocaa shouted, prompting the crewmen to look up and give looks ranging from gentle acknowledgements of their existence to looks Xander would be proud to give. Mr. Rocca noticed one such look and proceeded to slap the crewmember upside the head. "Hey, those're my girls."

"Hey guys! What's up?" Vida said, exuberantly pointing at a few of the guys and grinning wildly.

"…Hi." Madison, on the other hand, wished she could hide under her cloak.

Both girls sat down at the large table set up for the crew. Madison was ushered over next to a young carpenter with frizzy brown hair. He smiled sheepishly, then looked back down at his meal.

"Ben, this is Madison, my eldest daughter." Mr. Rocca said, lightly poking Madison in the back.

"Hi." Madison replied, trained to do so to such a stimuli.

"Hi." Ben replied.

"Ben here's from Ravenwood…I hear he works at a wonderful firm in the midsection of town." Mr. Rocca said.

"Yeah, we're gonna be doing a lot of work once we go back home." Ben meekly replied.

"Interesting." Madison replied, faking a smile.

"Maddie here's a good cook and seamstress. I'm sure you guys could find room for a lady like here down in Ravenwood." Mr. Rocca said, a tone of hope in his voice.

"I'm sure we could, sir." Ben replied nervously.

"Oh, c'mon, dad. Maddie's got her eyes set on another guy." Vida said, slumping in her chair and imitating the way the guy next to her was sitting while she messily downed a sandwich. Madison looked over, her eyes imitating those of a deer caught in headlights, and Ben looked over, giving a look that suggested he wanted confirmation.

"What…guy…is this…Vi?" Madison nervously asked through her teeth.

"She's got a boyfriend?" Ben asked happily.

"Madison's courting?" Mr. Rocca asked. "Don't tell me it's that noisome redhead I found sprawled on my couch this morning…"

"Oh, Charlie? There's nothing between us, dad…" Madison nervously replied.

"C'mon, Mad, you totally dig Chip, and he totally digs you."

"What did you say?" Mr. Rocca asked, confused by Vida's vernacular.

"He enjoys the fact that I haven't killed the majority of his family in a freak accident." Madison shot back.

"Hey, back off!"

"You killed somebody?" Mr. Rocca asked. Several people backed away from Vida.

"No I didn't!" Vida replied.

"On accident." Madison replied.

"C'mon, Maddie!" Vida said, tossing the rest of the sandwich at Madison.

"Alright! Enough out of the both of you!" Mr. Rocca said. "Now let's just have a good meal."

"Yes, sir."

"We'll discuss these 'courting' and 'killing' issues later."

"Yes, sir."

The table fell silent for the rest of the meal.

Sylvie and Toby had been touring around town for hours, and they stopped at Xander's house for a break. Toby knocked, and Acantha answered.

"Ah, Mister Toby and guest!" Acantha cheerily said. "Hold on one moment, okay?"

"Sure." Toby replied. Acantha shut the door, and a moment later, Xander approached and reopened it. "Oh! Toby and Sylvie! C'mon in!" Xander said.

"Nice hair ya got there…" Toby said, giving it an odd look.

"It's interesting…what did you do to it?" Sylvie asked.

"Oh, a simple spell to give whatever I touch an earthy quality. I made my hair stone-like so that it would stay straight up."

"Ya know, we could run over to the hotel room; Nick's got some hairgel we could use instead of turning your hair to rock like that…" Toby rambled on.

"I think it's interesting. Different and interesting."

"Oh, I could do lots of things with that spell…wanna see?" Xander asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"No, that's alright." Sylvie replied, giving a kind smile. She then proceeded to walk around.

"So, what're you doing today?" Toby asked. "Are we intruding?"

"No, not at all! In fact, I request that you guys stay here, since you're invited to my party that I'm preparing for."

"Oh, awesome!" Toby said. "I love a good party. How many people're gonna be here?"

"I'm not sure. A lot, though." Xander replied. "I guess as many people as we can get into this place and the backyard within reason."

"Awesome! A full house."

"Yeah…" Xander replied half-heartedly. "Anyways…do you two have costumes? A lot of people I've seen are dressing up in costumes."

"Um, a costume?" Sylvie asked. "What kind?"

"All kinds of costumes to represent the Great Wars…I've seen Magicians, broomsticks, knights, horses, Saints, even some bad guys…and that was just the people passing by my house."

"Do you have any spare costumes?" Sylvie asked. "I'd like to partake in the costume-wearing."

"I've got this on," Toby said, showing off his cloak. "this is enough for me."

"Alright…Sylvie, right?" Xander asked.

"Yeah?"

"What size do you wear? I might have something pre-made…"

"I wear a size six."

"Ooh, I thought you were a size four…" Xander replied, looking her over. "C'mon upstairs…I have an entire room of costumes that my uncle used to collect…I don't think he'd mind a woman such as yourself wearing it for the night…" Xander walked towards a flight of stairs behind Sylvie.

Down in Infershia, Vankyuria swiftly returned with the mummified corpse she had been waiting to find for a while. "Welcome to Infershia, my dear ally." She said, lying the mummy down upon her Master's only place for sight; the magically sealed circle imprisoning her Master, keeping him from emerging and ravaging the world. "Master, I have brought a great servant of yours to you…is there any way to return him to us…?"

A growling sound emitted from the circle. "I see…" Vankyuria nodded. "I shall move away as you work your magic, my master." Vankyuria took several steps away, then kneeled in servitude as dark magic seeped from the circle and into the mummified corpse.

After a few moments, the corpse began to rise over the circle, turning right side up, feet pointing towards the ground. The body then moved a bit as long purple robes appeared over the body, complete with a collar decorated in darkly lit orbs of blue, yellow, and red glass. The body then stood on its own accord as it was lowered to the ground, its empty eyes opening widely as the dark magic dissipated.

"Ah, the darkness of Infershia, how I've longed to see its beauty!" The corpse screamed in delight. It then looked itself over. "The robes are magnificent! These bandages, however, I could afford to get changed…but never mind that. I feel wonderful and alive with the darkness flowing through me! I've never felt so powerful and magnificent!" He then realized he wasn't holding a weapon in his hand. "Oh…what to hold…yes!" He summoned a fan which went well with his robe. "Perfect!"

"Welcome to Infershia, Raigel." Vankyuria said, still bent on one knee.

"That name! Do not ever speak it again!" The corpse said. "That name is of a false being, trapped within the confines and restrictions of Magitopia! That is not me!"

"Then what should I call you, sir?"

"I am the High Madoushi Priest….Priest Midhat. Yes, Midhat…it has a lovely ring to it…"

"If that is what you wish, Midhat."

"That is what I wish, Vampire Queen. Now, entertain me. I am still a bit tired from my long slumber." Midhat said, sitting down on the throne that once belonged to Branken.

Vankyuria smiled as she split into Nai and Mae.

"I know what you need!" Nai said.

"HAPPY SUPER FUN SONG TIME!" Mae shouted, and she made four paper folding fans appear; all decorated in a strange red and black circle design. She handed two to Nai and they took poses.

"Ready?" Mae asked.

"Ready!" Nai replied.

They started shaking their wrists to a mental beat, as well as keeping the rhythm with their hips and knees.

"Shushu to sanjou!" They began singing a capella. "Shushu to ninja jan! Makiokoze yuuki no harikeen!" They then shook the fans furiously in the air, waiting for a response to continue. However, they got a sour look from Midhat.

"That song is highly unentertaining and unoriginal." Midhat griped.

Nai and Mae sighed.

"Ooh!" Mae said after a moment. "How about…GLOOMY EVIL SONG TIME?"

"Gloomy and evil? Sounds like a step up from the paper fans…" Midhat mused aloud.

"Okay, the guitars!" Mae said. She turned the fans into a guitar and a bass, handing the bass to Nai.

"Okay…one, two, three!" Nai began playing a deep, haunting chord. After two bars of the chord, Nai began to sing.

"Nan da ka choppiri mezawari na no... kikikan zero no ningen-tachi…" Mae then joined in. "Have fun Nai to Mae… o-kinimesu mama ni…kantan o-souji time, yatchaou ka…?" They stopped for a moment, awaiting Midhat's approval.

"Why did you girls stop? I was enjoying the show." Midhat griped.

"Roger!" They replied, continuing with the song. "Bloody no dessert…kimi no ageru…" Mae sang alone for a second. "Give you…" They then continued singing together. "Friday no akumu…hitori, hitori…" They continued singing their second favorite song, much to Midhat's delight.

A few hours later, the two tiredly walked back to their chamber.

"I never wanna have another Gloomy Evil Song Time again…" Nai said.

"He made us sing it seventeen times!" Mae retorted, softly rubbing her throbbing hands together.

"Eighteen." Nai corrected.

"Too many times!"

"I say we take a break." Nai said. "I say we crash the humans' party!"

"Crash parties!" Mae said, cheering.

Back in Briarwood, Chip, Clare, and Tsubasa entered town to look around at how the townsfolk had been progressing on the decorations. Clare, being the lighter one between her and Chip, decided to start teaching Tsubasa how to act when being ridden for a while until he got tired.

Tsubasa temporarily forgot himself once they walked into the square, as he charged forward to greet Madison. Madison heard Clare scream as she was tossed off, and when she turned around, she squealed and got up.

"Tsubasa! Aw, you look so adorable!" Madison said, catching the hippogryph as he leaped at her, tackling her to the ground. Clare was glad she made the custom claw guards so he couldn't tear into things; Madison would've been chopped liver by now.

Tsubasa shrieked with joy as he nuzzled Madison. "Aw, who's a good horsey? Who's a good horsey?" Madison said, petting Tsubasa. She smiled happily, knowing that Tsubasa was so happy to see her.

Vida stood up and brushed herself off. "Hey you two. Thanks for bringing the bird." She walked over to Chip in a stern manner. "At least have the decency to say goodbye to my sister if you're running off."

"…What gave you the idea I'm leaving so soon…?" Chip said.

"Well, tell her that, will you?" Vida said sternly. "By the way…nice costume. You're repping my dear Volgel well."

"You're speaking as awkwardly as Nick does." Chip said.

"I like the way he talks. It's straight to the point, and it goes with his attitude. I'm cool with it, so I'm trying it out. Getting a feel for his style, ya know?"

"Um…not quite." Chip said giving her an awkward look as he walked past her and over to Madison.

Madison slowly nudged Tsubasa off of her as she got up. She dusted herself off and fixed her ponytail as he came close.

"…Hi." Madison said, shoving her hands into the pockets in her apron.

"Hi." Chip replied with a smile. "Ugh…Vida said something…about you…thinking I'm going…somewhere…?"

Madison clinged to Chip and started to cry. "Oh, you're going, aren't you? I was hoping you were gonna stay longer…"

"Oh, I'm not going yet!" Chip said nervously. "I was just confirming what she said…"

"Oh." Madison said, pulling herself away and sniffling.

"I'm staying for a while, definitely. I have to stay here and make sure Clare's safe and that Ravenwood is properly protected against Vankyuria, Morrigan and any other Infershian threats. Besides, I'm getting to like it here a bit. It's a nice way to start over, it is." Chip smiled, looking upwards for a moment before looking back at Madison. "But my old profession will eventually drag me elsewhere. Somewhere, somebody needs me to hunt around and check for danger and to protect their lands from the scourge of Infershia. That's what I do, and that's what I grew up doing."

"I…I understand." Madison replied in a low tone.

"I promise though, that I will come back, because Tsubasa and I would be crushed to not have your overwhelming hospitality ever again." Madison smiled weakly. "But let's cheer up and smile, because today is a day-" Chip thrust his arm upwards, causing his visor to fall down again. "…of…celebration. Dammit."

"I thought knights didn't curse in front of ladies."

"Ah! I've broken my code of chivalry!" Chip said, panicking. Madison chuckled.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anybody." Madison said with a wide smile while slapping him on the shoulder. "Now, get going before my dad-"

"Ladies!" Mr. Rocca shouted. Madison panicked.

"Yes, dad?" They both replied.

"Nice job. You two can go get ready for that party Xander's having." He said with a smile.

Madison and Vida jumped about happily, then ran for the house.

"We'll see you at Xander's later, you two!" Madison said.

"Yeah, Chip, we should-" Clare stopped as she realized that Mr. Rocca was heading right for Chip. "Uh oh."

Chip swallowed hard, but stood his ground.

"Ah, so you're that boy from this morning, eh?" Mr. Rocca said, setting both hands on his hips as he maintained a stern tone.

"Yes, sir." Chip replied as Tsubasa started walking around Mr. Rocca, inspecting him.

"I heard my eldest daughter's been awfully friendly with ya."

"Well, all of it has been professional, I assure you. We're both on the same team, and we have ended up in situations where it's just her and I on the battlefield…but I can assure you it's nothing serious or anything…" Chip replied calmly. He was relying on his many years of diplomacy and counterspying to save him now.

"It had better not be…if you break my poor daughter's heart, my little Vida will be the least of your worries." He said, shaking his fist in Chip's face. Chip panicked, jolting back a bit and letting the visor slam down again. He then pushed it back up and put on a determined look.

"I promise you that I will not make Madison unhappy. She's welcomed me into our group with open arms, and the last thing I would ever do is hurt her, sir."

"Aye, sounds like my Madison, alright." Mr. Rocca smiled. He then looked down at Tsubasa. "Is this your pet?"

"It's my nephew. His name's Tsubasa. He probably smells Madison and Vida on you."

"Aye, an odd name. I take it you're a…Mysterian." He said Mysterian as if it were something almost foreign.

"Yes, sir." Chip said.

"You Mysterians and your odd naming…what it is now with the order…?"

"Every other generation, the naming switches. My sisters' names are Marlenrita and Icaryia."

"Ah…I fought with a few Mysterians during the War….they all had the oddest names…"

"Oh, what did you do…?" Chip loved a good Great War story from a veteran.

"I was a Yellow Magician back in the day…Vida got that from me….but I heard she transitioned to Pink…"

"That was hard for both of us. Her and I got switched by Lady Udonna…"

"You've all met Lady Udonna…?" Mr. Rocca sounded impressed.

"Met her? The Lady's my godmother!"

"You're kidding!"

"I swear on Magiel herself that I'm not lying."

"That's something I wouldn't have guessed…Lady Udonna being a godmother…" The group all moved over to a table to keep their conversation going.

Eventually, Madison, Vida, Chip, and Clare all made it to Xander's house. Around five pm, Nick arrived with a medium-sized U-Haul truck, which Xander seemed quite pissed about.

"What did I tell you about these infernal, toxin spewing machines! Get this blasted thing away from my house!" Xander shouted as he burst through the front door.

"Fine, then I'll take my gifts back." Nick replied.

"….Gifts…?" Xander said. "What did you bring? A pack of pygmy elephants?"

"Nope. Something a lot more travel effective." Nick replied. "Is everybody here?"

"Everyone's here and accounted for."

"Bring'em out. I got something for 'em." Nick said with a smile.

The group approached moments after Xander ran in to get them; Madison was now dressed in a legged version of Spragel's form, and Vida proudly dressed as a Valkyrie, a woman from a old legend of a battle involving a group of Thunder Magician warriors who died valiantly on the battlefield.

Nick walked around to the back of the truck and opened it up, and with a whistle his broom followed him as he walked backwards. Sylvie laughed from the doorway.

"That thing's a flying metal golem…" Sylvie joked.

"It's like a dog, but it cuts through the skies like a mini airplane." Toby replied.

"Okay guys, I worked really hard on these, so you'd better enjoy them." Nick said as the rest of the group walked towards the back of the truck.

They gasped as they looked inside; four brooms sat inside, waiting to be embraced by their owners.

The broom farthest to the left was jet black with a dozen or so hand-painted vines that started at the tip of the bike's front end and looped around it, almost looking like vines really entangled the broom. The metal turbines in the back had been painted forest green.

The broom next to it was jet black with pink spray-painted tornadoes ravaging an open field on either side with storm clouds hand-painted on the front end. The turbines were a bit longer than the other turbines, and they were painted a dark pink.

The broom next to that had the depiction of a thunderstorm raging over a raging sea, with thunderbolts striking down into massive tidal waves. The whole scene looked hand-painted, by the looks of it. The turbines on the back were shorter and narrower than the ones on the pink broom, and the turbines had been painted a bright yellow.

The last broom was completely black, with huge jagged ice crystals painted on the front end, with a spray-painted snowstorm painted on the sides. The turbines on this broom had been painted white.

"Wow!" The group shouted. Xander, Vida, Chip, and Clare ran in to grab their brooms, and Madison walked up to Nick.

"There's only four…?" Madison asked.

"Well, Vida said you didn't like flying…" Nick said, feeling bad. "Besides, there's room on all of these for another person…and if it's bothering you that badly, I'll go fix you up one myself."

"No, no…it's okay." Madison said. "I'm just shocked that somebody remembered, is all."

"Well, that's something important. Why would I forget that?" Nick said.

"This thing's amazing!" Chip said. "…do I ride this like a normal broom…?"

"Yeah, but there's a few other things…" Nick said, walking over to Chip. Madison sighed and weakly smiled, walking off.

Madison wandered around the street a bit, thinking about herself and her inner fears. She sighed; it was so irrational to fear something as simple as broom riding, but it was also completely reasonable to fear going too fast, which was what Nick's brooms were built to do. It was also completely logical to fear flying high in the air as well, which was also something those brooms seemed to be good at doing.

She heard a crash from some shrubbery, and, fearing that it might've been one of her friends, Madison ran over to see if anything was the matter.

She bent over the tall shrubbery, looking to see if anybody had landed in them, and before she could react, two white and furry hands reached up and grabbed her chest.

"Agh! I'm stuck!" A voice cried out from the bushes.

"Let go of my breasts! Help!" Madison shouted.

"…Your breasts?" The voice asked. A cat's head then popped up, its fully blue eyes scaring Madison and the red feather smacking her in the head. The cat creature looked at his hands and realized the mistake. "Agh!" He let go frantically as the rest of the group came over, with Chip leading the way, wand pointed directly between the creature's eyes.

"Leave Maddie alone, you FOUL-" His visor slammed down. "DEMON!"

"NYAA! I'm not a demon!" The cat cried out, holding up both paws, one of which was holding Sungel's Disk. Clare's eyes opened widely.

"What's that in your hand?" Clare asked, pointing.

"Oh this…?" The cat replied, showing off the Disk. "It is a Solar Disk; it is my master's way of communicating with me, nyaa."

"Who's this master of yours?" Clare asked, approaching the cat slowly.

"Why, Master Sungel." The cat said with glee. "See? This is his insig-nyaa." He pointed to the 'S' on the back of the Disk.

"The Saint of the Sun, Sungel? You're his servant?" Vida's eyes lit up. "Is Sungel here?" She frantically looked around.

"Nyaa, he's not." The cat replied. "Now, you wouldn't happen to know where the Magicians who defeated Infershia would be, would you?"

"That would be us." Chip said, standing up in a heroic pose, his visor once again dropping down.

"…You're joking. You guys defeated Infershia…?"

"That's us." Madison replied.

"Nyaa…the mortal realm never ceases to amaze me with its oddities."

Xander looked insulted. "C'mon, let's just leave the overgrown fleabag in the bushes and go party." He said as he turned around and headed back.

"Hey now, if he's with Sungel, then we should hang with him!" Vida replied, helping the cat out of the bushes as she spoke.

"Yeah. Obviously, Sungel's sent his servant out to find out what's going on. We should at least give him something to go back to his master with." Nick replied.

"Yeah, and he could join in with the festivities!" Madison replied cheerily. "He's on our side, so why not?"

"A friend of a friend is my friend." Chip replied, dusting the cat off. Xander, however, was well on his way back to the house.

"Thank you, good Sir Volgel!" The cat replied. "I'm so sorry we got off to a rough start I think it was all part of a misunderstanding. My name's Kiran the Genie, but Kiran's just fine with me." Kiran smiled, baring his shiny golden fangs. "I am Sungel's personal assistant and loyal emissary. I do hate to rain on the party here, but I was sent here on bad news, nyaa."

"What kind of bad news?" Nick asked, crossing his arms.

"Well, the last time I was in contact with my master, an Infershian energy was coming towards our temple in the east…I'm not sure if he's handled it or not, since I haven't been able to contact him in the last few hours. He's probably defeated the force and headed back to his little catnap, but it does trouble me a bit."

"Well, we'll just have to keep an eye out for any sort of mishaps." Nick replied. "Well, we'll start to worry once we get confirmation of the bad news. For now, we party!" Nick threw up his arms in celebration, causing the rest of the group to do so as well, including Kiran.

Nick headed back to the truck. "Tell Xander that I'm bringing the 'toxin-spewing metallic abomination' back from whence it came." Nick told Vida.

"Got it, Nick!" Vida replied with a wink. "I'll get the brooms into the holding pen for ya."

"Thanks."

"No prob, man. See ya later!" Vida waved. As he started up the truck, he could hear Vida shouting, "These're so sweet!", which brought a smile to his face.

Nearly two hours later, Xander's party had begun. Nearly a quarter of the town's normal population was inside, and almost every single one of them wore some sort of costume or mask.

Some people had taken to the dining room to drink and converse, while others preferred a good conversation inside the den, sitting by the fire enjoying each other's company, or even starting up a costume contest for discounts at the judge's respective stores. Some still enjoyed the outdoors and sat out in the backyard, where a few of the guests had brought instruments to play for the crowd as they awaited the fireworks that were to go off at midnight.

Acantha became a door girl and welcoming committee, telling people where everything was as they arrived. She was surprised to see Nick once he arrived in his own suit of armor.

"Wow Mister Nick! What are you supposed to be…?" Acantha asked.

"I'm a Fire Knight; a Red Magician who fights like a knight and wears this awesome armor." Nick replied. His outfit looked almost like a gladiator's suit, with a sallet that had the phoenix symbol engraved on the back.

"Interesting choice, Mister Nick…or should I say, 'Sir Nick'?" She joked.

"Just Nick will be fine." Nick said.

"Yes, Mis-I mean, Nick!" Nick laughed as he walked in.

Xander was enjoying himself as he passed out wine in the den. He smiled as girls of all kinds passed by him, grabbing glasses of wine and giving him fleeting looks, all of which suggested that they more mildly appreciated their drinks.

"Plan Xander in action…" He muttered to himself with a smile on his face.

He walked over to the corner, where he noticed a woman standing by the large window, dressed like Izumo no Okuni, complete with the samurai sword in her belt loop.

"Excuse me, miss." Xander said. She turned around; she wore a half mask that was painted purple and periwinkle in a swaying fashion, looking much like a butterfly's wings, while her skin was caked with rice powder, her lips painted black. Her long black hair hung down to her chest, leading Xander's eyes to follow it up and down.

"Yes?" She asked, her voice sounding a shade or two deeper than most of the ladies who had talked to him that night.

"Ooh, what a sexy voice. Care to have a drink? It's raspberry wine."

"Sure." She said, happily taking a glass.

He stood, watching her drink. After a few sips, she looked up. "What, did I forget something?"

"So do you sing and dance for private audiences…?" Xander said with a wink.

The woman stifled a laugh. "Perhaps you should lay off the booze, young man." She said, walking away. Xander mentally kicked himself as he watched her walk away, swaying her assets back and forth as she walked.

Madison sat up in Xander's room, lulling Tsubasa to sleep with a hummed lullaby as she ran her hand over his head and side. Chip and Clare were with her, relaxing.

"C'mon, you two, go enjoy yourselves." Madison said. "I'll put Tsubasa to sleep. I'm tired anyways." Chip sighed.

"I saw a few things that I wanted to do outside the party…would it be rude if I left to go amuse myself…?"

"Not at all." Madison said.

"Oh, good, because I'd hate to offend Xander at his own party…" Chip said, taking off his helmet. His normally bouncy and lively red hair lied matted to his head in a pool of sweat that seemed to have started to drip down into his face. Madison stifled a laugh.

"What?" Chip asked.

"You must be sweating to death in that thing."

"Eh, it's a costume. I'm supposed to look horrible without it."

"You looked like you just stepped out of a sauna." Clare replied.

"Eh, I'm fine." Chip said, swinging his arm. He smiled. "Besides, most of this is from running into Mr. Rocca." Madison's eyes widened.

"What happened?" Madison said.

"Nothing much…I was just nervous."

"What did he do to you?"

"Not much, like I said. He was pretty calm."

"Oh thank goodness." Madison said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Why, should I be worried?" Chip asked.

"Vida practically proclaimed at lunch that we were courting and-"

"Oh, now everything makes sense…" Chip said.

"Huh? What did he say?"

"That he'd kill me if I broke your heart."

Madison groaned. "I'll kill Vida tomorrow."

Xander ran into Vida out in the backyard, and she was all riled up with the dance music being played. "Xander!" Vida shouted once she spotted Xander approaching.

"Need a drink, Vi?" He asked, going over to her.

"Fuck no! I need a damn dance partner!" Vida shouted, although he was nearby.

"Acantha!" Xander shouted. Acantha shot up out of the ground beside him.

"Yes, Master?" Acantha asked.

"Take the tray, hand out drinks." Xander said, handing her the tray.

"Yes sir!" Acantha said, walking around the backyard with the tray in hand.

"Now, we dance!" Xander replied, grabbing Vida's hand as the band began to play a little salsa number.

Down in Infershia, Vankyuria returned with a glass of wine in hand. She finished the glass off in a quick swig, tossing it to the ground and smashing it.

"It tasted more like raspberries than alcohol…" She muttered. "I'm impressed…yet unsatisfied…"

Morrigan ran out from a corridor, scaring Vankyuria.

"Mistress, how goes everything?" Morrigan said.

"Just fine. Clean up that glass. Last thing we need is a Hideac cutting up its feet on glass right before battle."

"Yes, Mistress."

"Ah, Vankyuria…I've been scouring this pit for you for the last three hours." Midhat said, lightly swaying his fan. "Nice getup, by the way. The great Okuni, perhaps?"

"I didn't know you Saints knew of Kabuki." Vankyuria replied. "But yes. I trained with her, of course."

"I didn't know the Vampire Queen was interested in the performing arts." Midhat replied.

"When one lives forever, things become boring. The arts…they are never boring."

"I see…" Midhat said. "So, do we have a plan to strike by the end of this festival the humans are having…?"

"I have a plan!" Morrigan replied, looking up.

"What kind of plan? You go charging in around with an army without my permission, only to have a single Magician kill them all, or will you go in all by yourself only to be brutally beaten by ONE LONE MAGICIAN?" Vankyuria shouted. Midhat looked at Vankyuria.

"Now now, my Queen, let the girl speak…" He said, placing the fan over her face.

"My plan is simple: distract the Mystic Force, as they call themselves, well enough to throw them off guard when we strike." She said, clenching her fist.

"Tell me…what is this mass disruption going to be…?"

"Give me the okay, and you will see." Morrigan smiled.

"Fine. Show me this plan of yours and make it go off without a hitch, and I promise you that you will be handsomely rewarded." Morrigan grinned happily. "However, if you fail, don't bother returning."

"Yes, Master Midhat." Morrigan got up and walked towards Wolzard's chamber.

"Hey! Get back here and clean up this glass!" Vankyuria shouted.

"As High Madoushi Priest and direct connection to Enma himself, she is commanded to do as I say. All other prior tasks are abolished." Midhat said, pulling his fan to hide the lower half of his face. "Which, translated, means pick it up yourself." Midhat walked off, leaving Vankyuria to do her own dirty work.

POP! Chip grinned, preparing another shot. A purple balloon, sitting ever so still…He let the arrow fly, connecting just below the base. POP!

"One more, hotshot." The guy behind the booth said.

"Mind if I take a few steps back?" Chip asked.

"If you want." The guy grinned. "In fact…I'll make you a deal. You split the last arrow you shot from a distance of fifty yards, you get any prize you want."

"And if I don't?"

"You'll lose all the prizes you're currently entitled to."

"I've already won four times. I might as well." Chip said. Chip counted his steps until he reached roughly fifty feet. He grinned, pulling out a rag and tying it around his eyes.

"Let's see if I can do this…" Chip said, relying only on his memory. He fired after a few seconds.

CRACK!

Chip took off his blindfold and grinned. He had shot the arrow in a nearly identical arc as the last arrow, and he managed to make the last arrow cleave through the arrow on the board, splintering it so deep that it made the arrow that was already down split in two. The arrowheads of the two arrows were practically kissing, the way they were lined up.

"Holy shit…" The guy said, examining the shot. Chip walked back up and set the bow down. "Well, you win. Pick your prize."

Chip grinned and pointed to the large blue plush in the corner. "Ah, you've been eyeing this all night…take it…I'll die a happy man after seeing what you just pulled."

"Thanks." Chip said, happily taking the plush, along with the rest of his prizes. "Have a great night!" Chip said happily, walking off.

Halfway back to Xander's house, Chip got a chill up his spine as the air got unusually cold. He looked around; the area was unusually quiet, but considering that nothing had been going on beforehand in the local area, he wasn't surprised.

"This chill…hm…" Chip said to himself as he continued his walk back.

Down below in the main plaza, Clare had taken the time to gather a bunch of children together for a story time. So many people from Ravenwood hadn't heard the story of the Great War before, and Clare felt like it was her duty to pass the legend on.

"Now, children, many years ago, a war started right here in Briarwood and it expanded out into your town of Briarwood; it was called the Great War, and it was indeed great." Several of the smaller kids got a little scared. "Many bad monsters came out of the large Gates of Infershia, and they started to attack the Faithless and the Faithful alike."

"Miss, what're Faithless and Faithful…?" A little boy asked.

"Well, little guy, a Faithless person is somebody who doesn't believe in magic. A Faithful person is somebody who believes in magic. Now who here believes in magic?" All the little kids shouted and raised their hands. "That's great! So you are all now Faithful, just like me."

"Were you always a Faithful?" A little girl asked.

"Well, the truth is, I was about seven years old when I began truly believing in magic. See, my mommy and daddy don't believe in magic, and they would tell me that fairies and witches and bad monsters didn't exist…but one day, magical things happened to me, and I began to believe. I met my teacher, and she taught me to use magic wisely, and now I'm a very strong Magician."

"Can we all use magic…?" Another little girl asked from the back of the group.

"Of course! The power of magic lies within us all, and we can all use it if we just believe in it. It's like riding a bike; we learn how to use magic, and we can be very good at it, but once we stop using it, we can't do all the neat things we could have until we start back up again and get better at it again." Clare smiled. "Okay, who wants to hear the rest of this story before the fireworks go off?"

"Me! Me!" The kids all shouted, raising their hands high.

"Okay, so the bad monsters were everywhere, and then the Five Magicians of legend appeared…"

Back at Xander's house, Chip arrived with the plushes, scaring Acantha with the amount.

"Oh my!" Acantha said. "Would you like to bring them up into Xander's room for now…?"

"Could I?" Chip asked.

"Sure! I'll help you out…I'll take this blue one…" She then led Chip up to Xander's room, where Tsubasa and Madison were sleeping. Chip smiled as he walked in.

"They look so peaceful…" Chip said. Madison lied arced across the bed in just an underdress, her costume on the other side of the room, folded neatly in a chair. Tsubasa lied curled up in a big ball against her chest and stomach, his costume still on.

Chip smiled as he gently slipped a yellow chibi garuda plush under Madison's arm, then and the large Spragel plush that he had won splitting the arrow next to Tsubasa.

"These are very soft…" Acantha said as she squeezed the snowflake pillow in Chip's hand.

"I think Clare will like this one…she likes fluffy pillows." Chip replied.

"Oh, this is very fluffy indeed…is it stuffed with goose down?"

"I'm not sure." Chip replied. "I think so, though."

Downstairs, Xander and Vida tossed themselves on the couch outside, sweating and panting from hours of dancing. Xander let his head lay against the wall as sweat poured down his face. Vida bent over and began breathing heavily.

"Didn't think you'd keep up with me for so long…" Vida said between breaths.

"If I couldn't keep up with you, Vi, I might as well quit at ever getting lucky with ladies." Xander replied.

"You have luck with getting laid?" Vida asked, looking over and giving a devilish look.

"Hey now…" Xander said, feeling a bit insulted.

Inside, Kiran, who had been doing nothing more than looking around and watching people, noticed Nick pacing around in an unusual manner. He walked over to Nick, who looked like he had just finished running a mile.

"Hey there, you're not looking too good." Kiran said.

"I don't…?" Nick asked, looking like he was about to pass out. "I mean, I know I don't feel good…but it's really that noticeable?"

"You look like you just came out of a pool." Kiran said. "Here, take my seat." He ushered Nick to his seat. "You're really hot…"

"I feel hot to you…?" Nick asked. "How could I be so hot…?"

"What do you mean?"

"I feel really cold…like my insides are frozen solid…maybe I got a sinus infection or something…"

"Here…" Kiran said, removing one of the sashes around his waist to pat Nick down. "Now hold on for about two minutes or so, watch the fireworks show, and then pass out."

"I have…to wait…?" Nick said, his eyes fluttering. "I need…something to drink…" He stood up, but quickly lost his balance and passed out. Kiran caught him in the sash before he hit the ground.

"Oh my…what to do, what to do…" Kiran said, panicking. He spotted Chip walking downstairs and he slowly walked over to him.

"What happened to Nick?" Chip asked.

"He was talking about needing something to drink, and then he stood up and just fell down. Luckily, I was there and I caught him."

"I'll go get Xander." Chip said. "Just stay there."

"Okay…"

Chip ran outside and quickly alerted Xander to Nick's condition. Xander ran inside, quickly getting Nick into the guest room and setting Kiran on guard duty.

The town clock struck midnight, and Chip felt a cold wind rushing through the air from the east as the fireworks erupted in the sky. Chip walked over to the eastern section of the backyard and looked out a ways, and within moments, large pillars of purple light appeared.

"Vida! We've got trouble!" Chip shouted.

"What?" Vida said, getting up.

"I knew today was too quiet." Chip muttered as they went to grab their new brooms.

They flew down to an interesting scene; a troop of Hideacs and Wolzard had a small group of rag-wearing peasants surrounded. One hooded cloak-wearing member, however, had a wand poised to attack.

"Ramuh Rabia!" Chip shouted, firing off a bolt of chain lightning into the Hideacs and frying them all.

"Ciclone Rosa!" Vida shouted, tossing a gust of wind at Wolzard, stunning him.

"Get the hell out of here!" Chip shouted to the group of captives. All but the one poised to fight ran off.

"I'm not leaving this fight!" The prisoner shouted.

Wolzard laughed. "I waste my time on you creatures…" Wolzard said, disappearing in a Madou Circle.

"Coward." The hooded prisoner said. She then looked at her assistants and jumped back in shock when she noticed Chip. "…Charlie…? You're alive…" She asked, walking towards him.

"….Ica…?" Chip said, walking towards the prisoner.

"It is you!" he said, jumphugging Chip once she got close enough. "I didn't know if you were okay or not…"

"I thought you were dead…" Chip said, embracing Icaryia tightly as he started to cry. Vida smiled weakly as the scene unfolded underneath the shrieking fireworks.


	18. The Shining Example

A bell rang, rousing Nick to wake up slowly

_A bell rang, rousing Nick to wake up slowly. The room was wallpapered beige, with wrought iron bars lining the tall windows to prevent the suicidal from leaping down into the streets below._

_The room itself was high-roofed and filled with beds with sterile white sheets; they always reminded Nick of a quarantine room in a hospital, although he knew he wasn't._

_Some of the beds were filled with equally pained children; Nick himself felt like he was living in a block of ice. Some kids were pale with fever, one boy in the corner had just thrown up. One second thought, it almost was a quarantine room._

_Two women walked into the room, dressed in stiff brown work dresses with white gloves and nurse's hats. They were both of Asian descent; the taller of the two wore thick rimmed black glasses and her long hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, her partner and apparent sister wore her curly hair down and pushed her long bangs back in barrettes, as well as a doctor's paper face mask._

"_How is everybody today?" The first nurse asked, pushing her glasses up while making marks on her clipboard as the second girl quickly examined each child. A few children, including Nick, let out various degrees of affirmative noises, letting the nurses know that they were alive. Several children were given pills and tucked in before the second nurse left. Her movements reminded Nick of a hummingbird, suddenly collecting what she needed before darting over to the next kid._

_The two nurses finally arrived at Nick's bed, and the second nurse bent over and smiled. That is, Nick imagined that she was smiling, since her eyes squinted the way somebody's would if they were smiling._

"_How are you today, Nick-kun? Still having a fever?" She asked. Nick nodded._

"_He's been the same way ever since he got here…" The first nurse replied, marking down a few things on her chart._

"_Is Nick-kun feeling well enough to have Special Foster School Time?" The second nurse asked, pulling a hand puppet that resembled a little bat with x-ed out eyes from her pocket. Nick smiled and nodded. "Koumori-chan is happy to hear the news, because today, she was prepared to teach murtipi…merlteepie…" She turned to the first nurse. "What's that word?"_

"_Multiplication." The first nurse replied without looking up from her clipboard._

"_Yes! Murtee-pree-cait-shun." The second nurse smiled as she mangled the word with her accent._

"_Let us move on. Many children in here are sick." The first nurse said, walking away._

"_Coming…" Nick then watched the two nurses continued their rounds to the other children, continuing in their hummingbird dance. After they were done, the second nurse rearranged the bed orders with the help of the wheel-mounted mattresses._

_The first nurse then dragged in a chalkboard as the second nurse blocked off the sicker kids with a screen wall that was mounted to the ceiling._

"_Good morning, those of you who are still strong enough to learn." The first nurse said, flipping through the papers on her clipboard. "Please sit up in your beds, and my assistant Miss Mae will hand you your notebooks." The group of children sat up and stretched; Nick sat up and set his pillow and red blanket up behind him for back support. "If you feel too tired to listen, please remember to close your notebook and set it at your feet so Miss Mae can tuck you in for naptime."_

"_Yes, Sensei Nai." The group replied._

"_Now, when I call out your name, say here." Sensei Nai went through her list. "Cunningham-kun."_

"_Here."_

"_Richardson-chan."_

"_Here."_

"_Sampson-kun."_

"_I'm here."_

"_Leafwood-chan."_

"_Here, Sensei."_

"_Chen-chan."_

"_Ready to learn."_

"_Nick-kun."_

"_I'm here."_

"_That's everybody. Here we go. Open your notebooks."_

_Miss Mae popped up next to Sensei Nai with Koumori-chan on her left hand._

"_Good morning children!" Miss Mae said in a fake voice as she shook the hand puppet about, obviously pretending to be the voice of the puppet._

"_Good morning, Koumori-chan."_

_Sensei Nai then pulled a ragged hand puppet that looked like a big, shaggy purple wolf out of her pocket and placed it on her right hand. "Good morning, children." Sensei Nai said in a gruff voice._

"_Good morning, Uru-kun." The children replied._

"_Today were continuing with our lesson on…" Koumori-chan seemed stumped on the word Miss Mae had trouble saying._

"_On multiplication, baka Koumori-chan!" Uru-kun said, smacking Koumori-chan upside the head. Two of the children laughed._

"_Who here can remember what four multiplied by five is?" Sensei Nai asked._

_A little girl sitting next to Nick raised her hand. "Yes, Leafwood-chan?" Uru-kun asked._

"_It's twenty, Uru-kun."_

"_Ping-pong!" Koumori-chan said, swaying once to the left, then once to the right. "And what is five multiplied by five?" The boy farthest away from Nick raised his hand. "Yes, Cunningham-kun?"_

"_Twenty-five, Koumori-chan." He said._

"_Correct!" Uru-kun said._

_Nick began dozing off, so he quickly closed his notebook and set it forwards. Miss Mae sighed and walked over. "Aw, is Nick-kun sleepy…?" Nick groaned tiredly. "Aw, poor Nick-kun. Here, lemme check your temperature…" She magically produced a thermometer in Koumori-chan's mouth, which she cheerfully stuck into Nick's mouth, slipping it gently under his tongue. She then grabbed Nick's blanket and pillow, then helped him squirm under the covers while Sensei Nai took his notebook. Sensei Nai walked over to the table and grabbed a small glass of water. "Does Nick-kun still have a fever?"_

"_Yes, Nai-chan." Miss Mae replied._

"_I feel cold…" Nick said weakly._

"_You do…?" Miss Mae asked, surprised._

"_Ice cold…"_

"_I see…" Miss Mae looked down towards the floor. She quietly muttered, "Could this be…the allergy…?"_

"_Mae-chan, do we give him medication?"_

"…_Yes, yes we do." Miss Mae said, nodding. Sensei Nai handed Miss Mae a small pill cup and a small glass of water._

"_Here, take these." Miss Mae said, propping his head up for the moment with her hand. To Nick, her hand was as cold as he felt inside. For a moment after she swallowed the light blue pill, he stayed awake, but he quickly closed his eyes and fell asleep._

Nick slowly woke up and found himself in his room in Rootcore, Clare leaning over him.

"Oh, you're alive." Clare said, smiling as she peeled a wet washcloth off of Nick's forehead. "Ye-ouch, hot, hot…" She looked down at him. "How can anybody be so damn hot…?"

"I'm freezing…" Nick said, pulling his sheets close. As she put a freshly frozen washcloth on Nick's forehead, the ice slowly began to sublimate. Nick could feel the cold sting of the ice against his skin, and he flinched; but he could also feel the warmth pouring off of her hands. He grabbed her hand and placed it on the side of his neck. "So much better…"

"Are you sure…?" Clare asked. Nick silently nodded and closed his eyes.

Downstairs, the group swarmed Icaryia, the topic subject of more stories coming from Chip than anything else.

"So, how did you escape?" Xander asked.

"How many of those fuckers did you kill on your way out?" Vida asked, looking excited.

"Did you manage to save everybody you could?" Madison asked, concerned.

"Did they feed you better than they fed me?" Chip asked. Everybody looked back at him in a questioning manner. "What? It's important to me, at least."

"Well, it's a long story…but basically, they left an opportunity wide open, and I grabbed as many people as I could sneak out with me and we made a break for it. Unfortunately, one clod clued them in that we were escaping. I'm almost thankful he got vaporized." Icaryia said with a breath of relief. "Anyways, I had to work quickly to exploit the open portal…"

"You used Dark Magic to escape?" Chip asked.

"I'm afraid so, dear brother." Icaryia replied, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I've let you down as a good example."

Chip grabbed her hand. "It's okay, Ica. You're still the shining example you've always been to me. You did it for a good reason, and you saved a lot of people doing it. It's okay."

"That fills me with joy to hear you say that, little brother." Icaryia said. "Now, could you walk me to my room like a good dear…?"

"I think Vida's occupying your room now." Chip said, a subtle frost escaping with the words.

"I am?" Vida asked.

"She is…?" Icaryia asked.

"Oh, I could leave the room for ya…" Vida said. "I mean, Mads and I go home just about every night anyways…" Vida said, pulling Madison close.

"If you don't mind." Icaryia said.

"I'll show ya around, and where I put stuff…" Vida said, helping Icaryia up out of her seat.

While the two went upstairs, Chip sat down and sighed happily. "It feels so amazing that she's here…"

"Understandable. I mean, she's supposed to be dead…and now she's here…" Madison replied, sitting down on the ground next to Chip's chair.

"I mean, it's a miracle for her to be alive…and for her to escape is fantastical."

"Fantastical…" Madison replied. "Very much so." Madison stood up and walked over to Kiran, who was sitting over near the fire.

"Sorry for the sudden chain of events, Kiran." Madison said as she sat down next to him. He had a blue and gold lamp sitting in front of him, which he rolled around in his hands idly.

"It's fine, Miss Blue." He replied. "I'm just awaiting my master's orders…"

"You can call me Madison."

"I'm sorry, Miss Madison."

"That's okay."

"I'm sorry about the whole incident with the grabbing and such."

"Well, I forgive you. It's obvious that it was an accident."

"I'm glad you forgive me." Kiran said with a smile. "So Miss Madison, would you mind tell me a bit about these fellow Magicians and about what's been going on? I mean, I've been living in a temple for nearly twenty years, and you kids're all fresh faces."

"Not a problem." Madison smiled. "My name is Madison Rocca, and I'm the Blue Magician. My sister, Vida, is the Pink Magician. She's a big toughie, but she's nice if you're nice. Xander Bly, who's a big flirt with an even bigger heart and love of the world, is our Green Magician. The three of us have been friends forever…my dad's even tried hooking me and Xander up." She leaned in and whispered into Kiran's ear. "He's not my type…he's too…egotistical…most of the time." She smiled as she continued. "Now, Chip Thorn is our Yellow Magician…he's a Wind Scout, and he's been very helpful with relaying his knowledge of Infershia to us. Upstairs, our Red Magician and leader, Nick Russell, is not feeling so good. But I do know that he used to do some sort of police work, and he's pretty good at fighting. And our sort of latest member, Clare, is our White Magician. She's been here since we got here, but she just gained Mystic Armor. She's also really helpful, and she's been trying really hard to take care of us ever since Udonna passed…" Madison sighed.

"Udonna…Udonna's gone…?" Kiran sounded depressed.

"Yeah, she's gone." Madison said, looking down.

"How did…how did she go…?" Kiran said, looking down at the lamp, suddenly setting it down.

"Wolzard took her down in battle…"

"…Wolzard…? Who is this Wolzard…?"

"…You don't know Wolzard?" Madison asked.

"He must be new."

"He seems like he's been around a while in Infershia…"

"Odd…tell me more about this…Wolzard…"

Up in Vida's room, Icaryia looked around in wonder. Vida's room was filled with yellow bird dolls, obviously made with down from Tsubasa. Icaryia eyed a shining object on the desk and walked over to it.

"What's this…?" Icaryia asked, picking the blade up.

"Oh, that's my kris. It's a ceremonial weapon."

"I see…" She turned around, letting the blade point in Vida's direction.

"No!" Vida said, grabbing Icaryia's wrist and quickly tapping the tip of the blade to the ground. "You NEVER point a kris at anybody, ever. It's rude to do so unless you intend to kill them with it."

"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't know that." Icaryia snipped at her.

"That's alright. Just…don't point that at people." She weaseled it out of Icaryia's hand and slid it back into its sheath. "In fact, I'd be happy if you left it alone." She set it on the top of her bookshelf, sitting it under a music box. "Now, if you don't upset it, it won't try to kill you in your sleep."

"You seem awfully cranky. Is it that time of the month for you?" Icaryia asked.

"You seem awfully snippy. Is it that time of your life for you?" Vida replied in the same tone.

"I don't think I like you much. I don't think my brother does either…for good reason." Icaryia replied.

"Why's that?" Vida said. "And Chip and I get along fine. We're not best buds, but we're teammates."

"I can feel the tension between you two. It's horrible." Icaryia said. "If anything happens to my little brother and you did it, I swear on my life that you will never see the light of day again."

"Whoa, chill out there. Switch to decaf." Vida said, raising her hands up. "I'm leaving you and your craziness alone. Call me when you're done being a psycho bitch." Vida left the room.

Over in Nick's room, Clare had finally had enough; she quickly frosted Nick's sheets over.

"You're having the craziest fucking fever ever." She said.

"I don't know what it is…" Nick said groggily. "I haven't been this sick in years. Maybe it's my sinuses…I could have a sinus infection…"

"Sinus infections don't lead to a person being capable of turning icy washcloths into bone dry and steamed washcloths in less than five minutes. Your temperature's gotta be way more than you're capable of sustaining. Your insides must be boiling away by now."

"How could I be so hot if I feel like my insides are frozen over?" He asked. "I mean, I can feel the icy cold blankets, and that the room is roughly the right temperature…and your own body temperature…which, by the way, feels way better than this ice wrap you've got me in…but I just can't account to why I'm sweating to death when I feel this cold."

"You know what? I'm gonna go look this up." Clare said. "I know I've heard of this before…it's definitely something either stuntable or curable…I think Udonna may have a book on it." Clare stood up, releasing the sheets from the ice coating they had. "Don't die while I'm upstairs."

"I'll try not to." Nick replied with a weak smile.

"Good to hear." Clare said as she walked out.

Outside in the courtyard, Chip had set up a long-range archery set, which he had begun to use while Vida set his sister up in Rootcore. Vida found herself watching him fire arrows, one by one, into the bull's-eye that sat a hundred feet away.

"You're pretty damn good." Vida said, stepping up next to him.

"I spent a good portion of my life learning how to use bows and swords; I'm fairly convinced that I was born with a switchblade in my hand." He joked. "I started learning archery when I was five or six years of age. I'm fairly rusty, what with all my time in Infershia, but I got to practice my sword skills with sticks and long pointy rocks. It's kind of hard to find things in Infershia that physically imitate a bow." Chip seemed eerily amused about the topic.

"Cool. So you're a hardened warrior."

"And you can be sure I won't be afraid to show you one-on-one if you cross my path the wrong way." Chip said with a grin, firing the arrow while still looking at her, and still managing to strike the bull's-eye.

"Damn." Vida said. "Can I try?"

"No, you can't with my bow. Go get your own." He said, holding his bow close, protectively.

"Fine, Archer Boy. I'll go get my own tomorrow. Then we can have our own little contest." Vida said, sticking her tongue out.

"How about we make a bet? A friendly little wager to make this worthwhile."

"A wager? What, money? Can't play for sport?" Vida asked, a bit annoyed.

"Oh, money is nothing to me. I'm talking about something else entirely." Chip said with a sly grin.

"Oh hell no."

"What, you afraid to lose?"

"No! You just can't have my kris!"

"Your blade? Please, my sword is just fine."

"Then what do you wanna wager for?"

"If you win, you can have my bow, and this archery range to yourself, plus the bragging rights that you beat me and my eternal loyalty."

"Sounds fair. And if you win?"

"You have to let me take Madison out for a day, to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, without you or your father interfering."

Vida stared at him. "What?"

"And you have to babysit Tsubasa for the day, because I know how much you love him." Chip grinned, firing another arrow directly into the center of the bulls's-eye. "And, hopefully you'll throw in a nice ceasefire to our little trifle."

"Trifle?"

"I know that we're not on good terms. Either way, we can settle it tomorrow. Deal?"

"I'm not feeling you taking my sister out all day."

"Fine. Then just out to breakfast."

"Deal." Vida said, spitting on her hand, then extending it for a shake. Chip stared down.

"How unsanitary." Chip replied.

"Spit shake or no deal." Vida replied. Chip sighed, then set his bow down before spitting on his own hand and shaking.

"Deal. Better be ready for me." Vida said.

"On the contrary." Chip replied.

They let go, and the two quickly wiped their hands off.

Inside, Clare searched through one of Udonna's books, trying to find Nick's sickness. Nothing she had found matched Nick's symptoms; not a virus, bug, poison, or curse. She looked in the last section of the book, and the first thing on the list was strikingly similar.

"Sudden influxes of Dark Magic within the week…check. Chronic and dangerously high temperature…check. Complaints of icy interior…check. Sudden and rapid, even debilitating, fatigue…check. Sudden appearance of above symptoms…definitely check."

She looked down and read the footnotes. "The allergic reaction to Dark Magic, or Madou, has become more prevalent ever since the alliance between Mysteria, Magitopia, and Terra over a thousand years ago. Once only a hereditary disease found in Magitopia and Mysteria, the allergy can also be found in Terra as well." Clare gave a look of deep thought as she processed what she read. "So Nick…might have a family history of this? Oh, Sylvie!"

She grabbed a fresh blanket for Nick out of the linen closet, then ran back downstairs with both the book and blanket in hand.

She ran down to Nick's side and relit a few of the candles that had died out. She then changed his top sheet with the blanket she had grabbed upstairs. Nick smiled.

"This blanket is nice and warm…" Nick said weakly.

"Glad you like it." Clare replied. "Udonna has a lot of blankets upstairs if you want any of them."

"I feel so content…" Nick replied, slowly falling asleep. Clare decided against waking him up to ask about Sylvie, although it could've been important.

Icaryia made her way downstairs, greeting Chip as she came down. Chip and Madison were tending to Tsubasa, who had decided upon greeting his uncle and adopted mother. "Dear brother, where did you find this one?"

"This's your son, Ica." Chip said happily. "We named him Tsubasa."

"Tsubasa…" Icaryia said, spacing out for a moment. "Tsubasa is a nice name."

"Would you like to come down and meet him?" Chip asked.

"Of course! He's my son, after all."

Icaryia walked down with a smile. Madison watched as Tsubasa hunched down a bit, the feathers on his neck rising up and his eyes narrowing.

"Tsubasa…?" She whispered into his ear.

As Icaryia reached out to pat him gently on the crown of his head, he snapped at her, nearly ripping a finger off. She backed away for a moment, and Chip looked over at him.

"Hey, that's your mother! Be respectful!" Chip said in a scolding tone.

"He might not recognize her, Chip." Madison said. "I mean, this is the first time he's meeting her, really…"

"Still, he should recognize her as his mother." Chip replied.

"No, she's right." Icaryia replied. "He's being protective of himself because he doesn't know I'm Mommy yet. You've trained him well, though, I must say."

"A bit too well, it seems." Chip replied halfheartedly. "Well, why don't we all go on a walk in the forest and maybe catch the sun rising up over Briarwood…?"

"Hey, I'll come with you guys!" Vida said. "I love a good morning breeze…"

"Oh, you!" Icaryia said.

"What now, O Queen of Bitchiness?" Vida replied.

"Hey!" Chip said, standing up. "Show some respect for other people!"

"Sit down, Bird Boy. This's between me and her." Vida walked up to Icaryia. "Got a new problem with me?"

"Yeah." Icaryia pulled a gold locket from her pocket. "I'd like to know where you found this."

"So, you go snooping around jewelry boxes that're sitting over things I told you to keep your hands off of when I'm not looking, it seems."

"I was just looking around my room. Whatever's in there is free for me to look at." Icaryia replied coldly. "Besides, this belongs to me."

"For your information, I beat the shit out of Morrigan to get that, so I'm pretty sure it's hers."

"I lost it at the crash site, and I haven't seen it since. If Morrigan had it, then she must have found it."

"Well, finder's keepers, so it belongs-"

"to me again." Icaryia said, quickly fixing it and putting it back on. "Next time you find something that doesn't belong to you, ask somebody if they recognize it."

"Hey, listen. I found it on the vampire bitch. I thought it was hers, and there was nothing saying otherwise."

"Maybe you should've opened it." Icaryia said, cracking the locket open. "That's a picture of my brother and I taken many years ago. Although it's old, it's pretty obvious that it's us."

Chip and Madison looked down at the picture.

"You were a cute kid." Madison said to Chip.

"Eh. Good thing I wasn't smiling." He replied. "My baby teeth were a mess and I'm pretty sure I was missing a whole bunch of them at the time of that photo…"

Tsubasa tugged on Madison's cloak, trying to get her attention. Madison turned around.

"Hm?" She said, giving a questioning look. He climbed up her back, just barely reaching her cloak collar with his beak. "What…?" He squawked. "Oh, you wanna go outside?" He then sat patiently. "Let's go!" She said, slapping her hands against her thighs. He perked up, then tugged on Chip's cloak in a similar manner. "C'mon Chip, the little one wants us to take him for a walk."

"He sure knows the right times…" Chip said, making his way for the door with Tsubasa leading the way and Madison walking beside him.

Icaryia huffed and walked outside, catching up to Chip and Madison. Vida sat down in her chair and crossed her arms.

"Bad day…?" Kiran asked, walking over to her.

"Bad woman is more like it." Vida replied coldly. "I fucking hate her. There's just this…pissed mist around her. Xander's got that thing about the Mysterian arrogance down…god, she acts like I'm some…like, some sort of dog." Vida replied.

The morning sun rose, and Nick woke up to the sound of Clare snoring; she had fallen asleep in the chair next to his bathroom door, which sat across from his bed. Nick stretched and slowly made his way out of bed, feeling refreshed and ready for the first Infershia-less day in nearly five months.

He looked down at the blanket he had been sleeping under and stared at it. "Hm…" He mused before looking over at the calendar set above his dresser. The date made his eyes open widely. "Holy shit…"

His wand began to ring; somebody was calling his cellphone. He grabbed it and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Happy birthday, Nick!" Sylvie said cheerfully.

"Ugh, thanks…" Nick replied. "Can you call me back later?"

"Sure!"

Nick hung up. "Oh shit…oh shit…" Nick ran into the bathroom, which woke Clare up and caused her to toss the book off her lap.

"Huh-wha-what?"

"Today's my birthday!" Nick shouted from the bathroom. "I totally fucking forgot!"

"Are…are you feeling any better?" Clare asked in a concerned tone.

"I feel great!" Nick shouted as he started up a shower.

"Well…that's good to hear." Clare said. "That cleared up pretty quickly…"

"I know, it's weird…" Nick said loudly as he stepped into the shower. "The last time I was this sick, I was like that for years!"

"When was this?" Clare shouted back.

"When I lived in Ravenwood!"

"Well, that explains it." Clare muttered.

"Why, is that important?"

"Well, kind've. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"

"Sure, go ahead!"

"Well, I'll wait. I hate shouting."

"Okay, fine, suit yourself!"

Clare looked down as the shower turned off, then quickly walked over to the balcony double doors as the door opened.

"Gimme a sec." Nick said, walking out. He shuffled through drawers and a few minutes later, Nick tapped her on the shoulder.

Clare turned around to find Nick in a red teeshirt and blue jean shorts with sneakers. "You wanted to ask me something?"

"Well…I guess since you're better, it's irrelevant…" Clare said. "I mean, you look completely healthy."

"And I feel like a million bucks." Nick said. "Maybe I'm just a little…burned out." Nick snorted. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

Clare laughed. "Wait, wait, I'm sorry…"

"Hm?"

"I have a few questions, just for reference…" She said, looking down at the floor.

"Yeah…?"

"Um…you said you've been sick like this before…?"

"Yeah…I was sick for nearly a year and a half straight with that…it was weird…just got better one day, and I haven't had it since."

"Okay…that's odd."

"You're telling me…" Nick replied.

"Um, so…has Sylvie ever been sick like that before?"

"Well, a few times, yeah…but not as bad as me…I think I just have a bad immune system." Nick sighed. "Why're you asking?"

"Well, the thing I think you have is hereditary. Did your parents have this too?"

Nick fell silent. "I…I don't remember them."

Clare gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "I…I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay." Nick said. "They're obviously in a place now where they're surrounded in peace and happiness. It's better than Earth, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Clare smiled weakly. Nick turned around.

"I guess since it's here…" He said, pulling the blanket off the bed. "I used to have a blanket like this…same color, too." He said, folding up the crimson blanket. "It was the only thing from home, Sylvie used to tell me. She used to tell me that mom and dad would wrap us up in these blankets to sleep, and that they would always keep us calm."

"Udonna has quite a few of those blankets upstairs, in various colors…I'm sure that she wouldn't have minded if you wanted that." Clare smiled. "Consider it a birthday gift to you."

"Thanks." Nick said with a smile. "And what's your gift?"

"Finding out why you got so sick and what to do if it happens again."

"Well, that's nice, but I doubt I'll get sick again."

"You never know." Clare said. "The weirdest things have been happening lately…"

Clare walked downstairs and found Xander tending to the small garden he had constructed inside Rootcore; he looked mortified.

"Xander, what's wrong?" Clare asked.

"They're…they're all dead…" Xander replied. "I set them all up last night, gave them all fresh mineral water, trimmed them up all nice and neatly…I did the same thing last night before I left that I always do before I leave…I don't know what happened!"

"Can't you fix them?"

"I've tried a few regeneration spells made specifically for plants, then I tried a Restoring Potion that Vida had saved up…then I tried one Chip made…nothing's worked! Something permanently and irreversibly killed off everything in my garden." Xander looked like he was about to cry.

"Can't you start over…?"

"That's not the point! I've been working so hard for months, and then this! Whoever or whatever did this, I swear on my life, will pay dearly for this…" Xander said.

"Ugh, today's an awkward day…" Clare said, sitting down next to Xander.

"You're telling me…" Xander said. Clare pulled him close and gave him a hug.

"Today's Nick's birthday, ya know."

"I would've given him a birthday bouquet if something or someone didn't kill all my flowers." Xander grumbled as he laid his head against Clare's chest.

"Don't worry, I'll help you regrow those plants."

"You're so nice…"

Down in Infershia, Morrigan quickly made her way into the main lobby, where Midhat was waiting for her on the throne.

"What took you so long to report here?" He snippingly said, pointing the tip of his fan at her.

Morrigan got down on one knee. "Forgive me, master. I am moving a bit too slow today; I will quicken my pace."

"You had better." He then waved his fan across his body, a gust of air knocking around the loose ends of his wrappings. "Now, I have been watching your plan and I do think it has potential…however it is moving slowly, like you."

"I promise that within twenty-four hours, the Mystic Force will be too busy destroying itself for it to see us coming."

"This is music to my ears, young vampire. See that your plan does not fail." Midhat said, waving his fan back in the opposite direction. "I await your next report."

"Yes, master." Morrigan said, bowing her head in respect before leaving.

Vankyuria watched on, fuming. "Take my servant away from me, will you…" She then quickly made her way to the surface.

Chip, Madison, and Tsubasa arrived back at Rootcore, practically doubling over in laughter.

"So, he says…he says to Ica…'Hun, that's not my broomstick! That's Richard's!'" Chip shouted, causing Madison to almost fall to her knees in laughter.

"Oh Majiel! That's horrible! He almost flew off on Richard's broom!" Madison replied.

"I know! That was the best part! Oh Majiel, her cheeks turned redder than her hair!"

Tsubasa appeared to be joining in, as his squawking was similar to the sounds of Chip's laugh. Madison bent over and hugged him. "Oh, you think Uncle Chip is funny too?"

"Uncle Charlie's a box of acorns, isn't he?" Chip said, bending down to ruffle up the feathers on top of Tsubasa's head.

"Hey guys." Clare said. "Guess what today is."

"It's a Thursday." Chip replied.

"Well, yeah…but I mean, the date."

"August the 17th. Why?"

Madison gasped. "Isn't it Nick's birthday?"

"Mhm." Clare replied.

"Well, doesn't it suck that he's so sick…"

"He got better just as quickly as he had gotten sick." Clare replied.

"Oh, really…?" Chip said, standing up. "That's…uncommon."

"Yeah. Charlie, I want you to check this out…" Clare said, waving him upstairs. Chip followed her.

Vida sat outside with Kiran, who had given her a bow to practice with.

"I've got no chance to beat him in archery, Kiran." Vida admitted. She looked out to see that most of her arrows hadn't even made it halfway to the target, let alone strike the bull's-eye.

"You're aiming straight for the target correctly."

"I'm aiming straight on!" Vida said.

"I find that being imperfect makes you perfect, in archery." Kiran replied. He arched her aim upwards a few centimeters. "Pull back all the way, wait a second or two, and then fire."

"Whatever you say, cat boy." She did exactly like he said, and the arrow sang as it flew through the air, coming down and directly into the bull's-eye.

"See? Perfect."

"Amazing."

"You'll do wonderfully, Miss Vida." Kiran said.

"You better hope so." Vida joked.

Chip looked down at the book, staring at the symptoms. "This suggests that Nick…"

"Is Mysterian, I know." Clare said.

"These symptoms, though, seem lesser than what Nick actually has."

"Maybe he has a sensitivity to Dark Magic above it…" Clare said.

"He would've been hurting badly in Infershia if it was a sensitivity…I think it correlates directly with his magic use." Chip said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know of the ebb and flow of magic…the more you inherit, the more you innately have, and the more you can lose over time…the more you can gain back with repeated use…"

"But…you're leaving a lot to chance." Clare replied.

"No. It makes sense. Why else would Nick suddenly fall victim to a sickness that he could have had months ago? He hadn't been using magic a few months ago, that's why. We've been using tons of magic, to add to it. This allergy is caused when Light Magic tries to stave off an overflow of Dark Magic…do you see what I mean?"

"But Nick's not Mysterian…he's from a completely Non-Believing town!"

"You told me he doesn't know his parents. He could very well be." Chip replied, looking down.

"Charlie…?" He grabbed her hand; his palm was drenched in sweat, and the heat emanated off his skin. "You're sick too…?"

"And I'm a full-blooded Mysterian." Chip replied. "Granted, my parents aren't anything special as far as magic power goes…neither am I, to be honest…but you get my point." Chip had started getting pale.

"How are you faring…?" Clare asked.

Chip pulled a test tube with a cork on top out of his pocket; the liquid was thick and brown. "Meet the Mysterian answer to all of your allergy ailments."

"Molasses Sudafed." Clare joked.

"Here, I have plenty stocked up until this Dark Magic wave subsides. If Nick starts up, mix this with some water. This is one serving, so don't be stingy." Chip smiled, sitting the vial in her lap. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta get myself some of this before I pass out." Chip got up and walked into his room.

Clare smiled, staring at the vial. "I wonder…" She opened the vial and took a whiff; the contents smelled like a pile of rotten bananas. "Ugh!" Clare said. "Charlie has a cast-iron stomach, I swear it."

Downstairs, Vida stood waiting for Chip, who had slowly walked down with his quiver and bow, ready to go. Madison, Icaryia, Nick, Xander, Kiran, and Clare all took seats on the side of the field.

"Okay, Vida, we're a hundred yards away from the target. The only rules in this are the rules of sportsmanlike conduct and that whoever hits the center of the bull's-eye first wins this. Got it?" Chip said.

"Got it, Bird Boy." Vida said. Chip then took a step back.

"Ladies first."

Vida smiled and took an arrow out of her quiver, quickly stringing her bow. She remembered what Kiran had said earlier, and she aimed above where she wanted to hit. She let the arrow fly, and it sailed across the field, striking the outer ring of the bull's-eye. Chip looked physically stunned.

"Nice first shot…" Chip said. "I suppose you put on a good show." Chip said with a grin. He aimed his shot perfectly and fired. As the arrow approached the target, a gust of wind shot up above the arrow, knocking it out of synch and dropping it into the outer ring of the target.

"Huh?" Chip said.

"Wow, did anybody else feel that freak breeze…?" Icaryia asked.

"What was that…?" Chip said, looking back behind him.

"Maybe you should ask your group's Wind Magician what happened." Icaryia asked.

Chip looked over at Vida. "What? Are you saying that I had something to do with it…?"

"Well, you are our group's Wind Magician…"

"I duel with honor!" Vida replied, sounding ticked off at the accusation.

"Fine, you go." Chip said. Vida scowled as she began her second shot. She let the arrow fly, and yet another gust blew in, causing Vida to turn her head and look. She noticed that Icaryia was looking back as well.

"Hey you!" Vida said, walking over to her. "What're you looking at back there that's so important?"

"I'm looking for your wand…" Icaryia said. Madison gasped, making Vida turn to look. The arrow had struck dead center.

"I understand…" Chip said, a small whimper crawling in his voice. "I know your intentions. It's okay."

"Oh, shut up." Vida said, tossing her bow down as she walked over to Chip. "You can have your stupid date with my sister…I'm ashamed that you're buying into these lies…" She took her quiver off. "Who here thinks I cheated?" Everybody raised their hands besides Kiran. "You too, Maddie…?" Vida said.

"Well, who or what else could it have been…? I'm only going by what I saw." Madison replied.

"To hell with you all then!" Vida said, stomping off.

"A date with me, I see." Madison said, getting up and smiling weakly.

"Well, I only wanted to take you out to breakfast…that's not really a date…" Chip replied, blushing.

"I could see why Vida would cheat…" Madison said.

"Really, it's not like that!" Chip said, backing away from Madison.

Xander smiled. "Oh c'mon, take her out now while there's still breakfast being served!"

Chip sighed. "I'll meet you downstairs when you're ready…"

Icaryia smiled. "How sweet…" She said softly as soon as he was too far away to hear. "My little brother is being gentlemanly towards her…I must have taught him right."

"Yeah." Xander said. "He's never stopped talking about you, ya know. He thought you were dead, and he did a lot of veneration…"

"That's my little brother…" Icaryia said. "A gentleman, through and through. So mature for his age…maybe a bit too mature…"

Nick's wand rang; it was Sylvie. Nick transmuted his wand and began to talk.

"Hey there!" Nick said.

"Hey!" Sylvie replied. "Hey, we'd like to invite you to hang out with us."

"Hang out with you?" Nick replied. He knew what that meant.

"You can bring a friend if you'd like…but not everybody."

"Bring somebody…" Clare's eyes opened and she began to bounce around a bit. Nick gave her a questioning look, to which she replied with a mouthed 'Can I go, please?'. Nick smiled.

"You don't mind if Clare tags along, do you?" Nick asked. Clare smiled and crossed her fingers.

"No, of course not!" Nick gave Clare the thumb's up, which Clare smiled widely at.

"We'll be there soon…where do you want us to meet you?"

"There's a little café here in Briarwood on Orchard Street."

"I know where that is. Be there soon."

"Bye, Nicky!" Sylvie said as she hung up.

It only took Madison a few minutes to get changed into a long summer dress and a pair of boots before going downstairs. Chip had quickly changed into a plain yellow teeshirt and a pair of dark blue jeans, keeping his boots on, hidden mostly beneath his jeans.

"Are you ready to go to breakfast?" Chip asked, getting up from his seat.

"I'm ready." Madison replied.

"Then let's go." Chip said, escorting her out the door.

Outside, Chip's broom was waiting for them in the form of the motorcycle it had originally been.

Madison gave Chip a look. "What happened to your broom?" She asked.

"Well, I know you're a bit nervous about brooms…so I asked Nick yesterday about how to change it back and forth between this thing and the broom."

"Oh." Madison looked down while smiling, trying not to blush.

"Would you like to drive it yourself?" Chip asked.

"Well, I don't know how-"

"I could tell you how to if you want."

"…Sure."

"Okay then." Chip handed her a helmet that he had taken out of the seat compartment. "Put this on, and take the front seat."

"Alright…" Madison said. "Where will you sit?"

"Behind you."

"Are you sure…?" Madison asked as she got on the front seat. "Is there enough space for you?"

"Of course." Chip said, putting on the secondary helmet. "Let's get this lesson started."

Chip took the seat behind Madison, and he quickly showed her how to get the bike revving and moving. They departed for Briarwood within moments.

Meanwhile, Nick and Clare arrived at the café down on Orchard Street, where Sylvie and Toby were waiting for them. Sylvie was wearing a white silk kimono, with a red dragon surging around the skirt, and Toby opted for a collared shirt and tie with a pair of blue jeans.

Clare had changed into a blue and white dress, striped on a bias, and a pair of white Mary Jane shoes.

"Hey Clare!" Sylvie said, smiling.

"Hi Sylvie!" Clare replied back, jumping off her broom before it touched the ground.

"Hey Nick, happy birthday." Toby said as Nick landed his broom.

"Hey, thanks." Nick said, walking up to Toby and Sylvie.

Toby revealed a large, flat box from behind his back. "Thought I'd get you something."

"Ah, Toby…you shouldn't have!" Nick said.

"Well, I did, so stop complaining about it and open the box."

Sylvie, Toby, Nick, and Clare all sat down at the table that Sylvie's bag was sitting on top of, and Nick opened up the box. Inside, a large black piece of folded cloth sat inside. Nick looked at it, then took it out. It unfolded, revealing a full length hooded robe with red leather trimmings and a red silk interior. An embroidery of the Magic Circle sat on the upper left side of the chest area. Nick smiled, looking at Toby. "Nice."

"Sylvie said you'd like it." Toby said.

"But it's got a hood on it…" Clare said.

"So? A robe is a robe." Sylvie replied.

"It looks comfortable, though, Clare. I'll wear it around Rootcore." Nick said as he folded it back up.

Sylvie smiled. "I got you something too..."

"Oh, you too?" Nick said, nearly groaning.

"It's your birthday; you're supposed to get gifts, no matter how old you are!" Sylvie grabbed her purse and pulled out a small green lacquered box, embroidered with the Saint Pentagram on the top. As Nick grabbed the box, a little spark of light flashed and disappeared.

"I'm sorry if this gift is horrible…I couldn't find the gift I wanted to give you…" Sylvie replied.

"Sis, you've never given me a bad gift for my birthday ever." Nick replied.

"I hope not…" Sylvie sighed. "Well, just open it."

Nick opened the box, and inside sat a bracelet with two interlocked rings inside. One ring was made of a wide band of gold, and the center of it had a square hunk of garnet surrounded by tiny amethysts. The other band was narrower and had a large circular diamond in the center, with small circular pieces of white quartz lining the rest of the band. Nick looked stunned to see them.

"These…" He said quietly.

"Those're mom's and dad's wedding rings, yes." Sylvie replied. "They've been my good luck charm for years…but I figured that they'd be of better use with you. I heard that there were still demons running about…you'll need all the luck you can get."

"I…I don't know what to say…" Nick said.

"Just wear them on your wand arm…they'll be good luck charms." Sylvie said.

"I can only imagine what you really wanted to give me…"

"When I find it, I'll let you know." She replied.

"Alright, enough with the mushy sentiment…who wants breakfast?" Toby said as Nick slowly began to put the bracelet on.

On the other side of town, Madison stopped the bike outside a small bakery. Chip smiled.

"You did pretty good without me helping." He said, taking off the helmet.

"You think?" Madison asked, opening up the seat compartment.

"Yeah. Even without me helping you with the balancing." Chip put his helmet in the compartment before shutting it. "I mean, it helped a little that we were going only twenty miles per hour…"

"Sorry." Madison said as Chip opened the door for her.

"Oh, it's okay. I wouldn't want you to freak out while I sped around anyways."

A few people were sitting round at the few tables inside, and only one table was left empty.

"This place is a bit smaller than Xander's…" Madison mused as she sat down at the table. Chip smiled and sat across from her. Not even a minute had passed by before one of the bakers had come out with a pad and paper in hand.

"Good morning." The baker said. "What can I get for you two this morning?"

"Um, I'll just have a couple slices of toast with butter, if I could." Chip said.

"White, wheat, potato, or whole grain?"

"Just plain white'll do." He replied.

"And for you, miss?"

"I'll have a blueberry muffin…do you have any jam to go with that?"

"We have blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, pomegranate, and apricot."

"I'll have the apricot."

"Can I get you two something to drink?"

"I'll have a glass of milk, if I may." Chip replied.

"I'll have some green tea."

"I'll be back in a minute or so with that." The baker replied, disappearing into the back room.

Madison sat her elbows on the table and sat her chin on top of her open hands. "So…you made a bet with my sister to take me out to breakfast…" She laughed softly.

"Well, she started it. I thought of the one thing she'd try the hardest to keep from me, since my bet was my archery range and my bow."

"And you didn't bet Tsubasa? For shame."

Chip snorted. "I think she'd rather us go out for breakfast than to be his new mommy."

"Yeah…" Madison replied coldly before letting out a long sigh. "I wish she was nicer to Tsubasa…he's only a baby, no matter how big he is."

"She hates him because of me." Chip said, his voice radiating a mix of hatred and regret.

"And she hates you because of me." Madison replied as their breakfasts arrived. "Thank you."

"Enjoy." The baker said.

"We will." Chip replied before the baker turned around and went back to his post.

"No, she hates me because I tried to kill her, and she's taking it out on him just to spite me." Chip said before taking a drink from his glass of milk.

"Well, you have a reason to be mad at her. She should've been more careful." Madison took a sip of her tea while Chip grabbed a knife and spread the melting hunks of butter across his toast. "I mean, two wrongs don't make a right, but she's being immature and you have a right to be at least a little mad at her for it."

"I guess." Chip said before taking a bite out of his toast. "But she didn't have the cheat like that." He replied, tiny bits of toast flying out of his mouth as he spoke.

"Ah, gross, Chip." Madison said, holding up a napkin. Chip realized that he was talking with his mouth full and blushed, finishing what was in his mouth before continuing.

"Sorry about that. I'm just…upset about how low she sunk, and how she completely lied about doing it. That's what bothers me the most."

Madison sat and thought about what Chip had said as she began to spread jam over her muffin. She suddenly stopped, then looked up.

"I don't think she did it."

"What do you mean?" Chip asked, giving her a confused look.

"I don't think Vida cheated." Madison replied.

"Why wouldn't she?" Chip replied, taking a bite of his toast.

"I mean, even though Vida is a big jerk sometimes…even this is too low for her."

"But it's me."

"It doesn't matter. Besides, she's usually proud of her vengeful deeds; but when she was trying to defend herself, she didn't seem at all to be happy."

"Well then, if Vida didn't do it, then who did?" Chip asked after he swallowed his toast piece.

"I don't know. It wasn't me, and it couldn't have been Nick, Xander, or Clare…"

"Are you accusing me?"

"Do you have a guilty conscious?"

"No, but you're making it out to be me."

"I'm just listing out everybody who doesn't use wind magic. I'm not trying to single you out." Madison took a bite of her muffin.

"Well then, you're saying it's either me or my sister, and it's not either of us." Chip replied. Madison gave him a look. "Well, then, we're out of people, aren't we?"

Madison sighed while chewing.

"I just…I just feel like she's never going to stop hating me, no matter how much I…" He paused for a moment and changed his mind about what he was going to say before continuing. "no matter how much I try to please her."

"She'll get over it, I promise. I mean, my father didn't kill you, so I think she'll come around eventually."

"I can only hope that neither of them try to kill me…"

"They won't, not as long as you're under my father's good graces." Madison said, smiling. "Vida's a daddy's girl."

"Oh, lucky me." Chip replied flatly.

The two finished breakfast in silence, not bothering to question anything else, not bothering to ruin the silence.

Nick and Clare, however, were happily conversing with Sylvie and Toby. Sylvie smiled for a moment as she watched Clare and Nick share a smile.

"It was really nice of you to invite me to go along with Nick." Clare said. "This breakfast has already been tons more edible than anything I could've made.

"Oh, you're not a bad cook." Nick said, stuffing a small wedge of pancake in his mouth.

"That pancake, if I had made it, would've stuck to the pan." Clare replied, pointing to the pancake with a knife.

"Bullshit." Nick said after swallowing down the pancake wedge.

"Well, you're a good White Magician…I doubt you'd burn anything…" Sylvie replied. She wiped her brow with a kerchief, then sighed. "Excuse me for a moment. I'll be right back." She replied, grabbing her bag and walking into the bathroom.

"So, what kinds of things do you cook?" Toby asked Clare.

"Usually really basic things, like soups and tea, sometimes bread or pies…but only in the spring when the fruits are nice and ripe."

"Oh, what kinds of pies?" Nick asked.

"Usually apple, cherry, plum, and fig pies."

"I'll have to get an apple pie from you next year." Toby said. "If there's one thing my brother loves, it's a good home baked apple pie."

"Well, just come and stop by. I'll be happy to make one." Clare smiled.

Sylvie returned, looking relieved.

"Well, look at you, Lady Sunshine." Nick said with a swagger to his voice.

"Sorry about that," She said, sitting down. "I'm getting too old for my own good."

"God, if you're old, then I'm middle aged." Nick replied, finishing down the whole glass of water in one long drink. He took a long breath before slamming the glass down on the table.

"Have you been a frog recently?" Sylvie joked.

"No, just thirsty." Nick replied as he stood up. A wave of dizziness overtook him and he swayed a bit, causing him to grab his head. "Whoa, got up too fast."

Clare panicked and stood up. "Nick, you okay…?"

Nick looked over at her, sweat beads forming all over him. "I think you were right…" He then lost his footing and toppled over, falling into Clare's already prepared grasp.

"Nick!" Sylvie shouted and her and Toby leaped out of their chairs and rushed to Nick's side.

"Water, gimme a glass of water…" Clare said, panicking.

"Here." Sylvie said, grabbing her glass of water and handing it to Clare. Clare then dug into the side of her shoe and pulled out the vial Chip had given her and began pouring the mix into the water, then stirring to mix the two together.

"Lean Nick so that I can pour this down his throat." Clare said. Nick had already blacked out, which made the whole ordeal much more serious.

"Here…" Toby said, elevating Nick properly for Clare. Clare then began pouring the mixture down his throat. They waited for a moment, and the only thing that seemed to change was his temperature dropped slightly. He was still sweating and running a fever, but it had been dropped significantly.

"Is he gonna wake up?" Sylvie asked.

"I don't know…" Clare replied.

"Well, shouldn't we get him to a place where it's more comfortable to sleep…?" Toby asked.

"I'll get him to Rootcore." Clare said, picking him up slowly.

"…Rootcore?" Sylvie asked.

"Er…I'm afraid this is just a job for me." Clare replied.

"Got it, important Magician stuff." Sylvie replied. "You want some help getting him ready for transportation?"

"No…I'll be fine…"

The rest of the day rolled along silently; Icaryia and Chip had left to take care of Tsubasa, Madison went home to take care of her garden, Vida left, fuming while on the verge of tears, Xander went back home to sulk about his garden, and Clare was left alone to take care of Nick.

Later on in the night, Chip, Icaryia, and Tsubasa arrived back, and Icaryia lied down on the couch downstairs. Chip smiled after he lit the fireplace for her. He then made his way to the round table.

Within less than a second, a blade flew from the roof of the room, driving straight into Chip's shoulder. He dropped to his knees on impact and screamed out in pain, grabbing the blade's handle, attempting to pull it out.

Vida walked into Rootcore, whistling, and her first sight was Chip struggling with the dagger. She panicked and ran over to him.

"What the hell happened here?!" She screamed, shooing his hand away and getting a firm hold on the handle.

She gave the blade one firm tug, revealing the blade itself; her kris, covered in blood. Vida panicked, keeping her from noticing that Icaryia had gotten up and silently fired a small wind spout at her, which knocked her into the dais and made her drop her blade.

"Get away from him!" Icaryia shouted. The tree's aura, the light source of Rootcore, began to shine throughout the tree. Clare and Kiran ran downstairs to see what was going on. Madison, who had decided to visit Rootcore's current denizens, walked in with a basket of herbs, which she quickly discarded once she saw Chip holding his wounded shoulder.

"What's going on down here?" Kiran and Clare asked simultaneously.

"This harlot tried to kill my brother!" Icaryia screamed.

"I walked into Rootcore and found him with the blade in his shoulder; I was helping him get it out!" Vida shouted back.

"Isn't that your knife?" Icaryia said, pointing her wand at the kris.

"Oh, this one?" Vida said, picking up her kris and pointing the tip at Icaryia. "It is, but how could I have had it on me before when it was here after I left?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell us?" Icaryia said, stomping towards Vida. She bumped into Madison, which rocked her sideways and caused her to tear off the bandage she had been applying to Chip's shoulder. Chip winced a bit.

"You're trying awfully hard to convict me of things I'm not doing." Vida said in a questioning tone. "Do you really care about your brother or are you more concerned in getting rid of me?"

"I'm only concerned in convicting the guilty." Icaryia replied coldly.

"Then convict yourself, because you're severely guilty of lying." Vida replied, walking upstairs, blowing past Kiran and Clare.

"You know what? That girl is nothing but trouble." Icaryia said, placing her hands on her hips.

"That girl is my sister." Madison said as she began reapplying the bandage to Chip's shoulder.

"Is she always like this?"

"Never. Which's why I don't think she did this."

Icaryia looked shocked. "You…you think she's…innocent? How could you?"

"Because Vida may hate Chip, but she'd never go this far…" Madison replied, looking up and over at Icaryia. "Besides, Vida wouldn't have wounded him if she had the chance…she would've killed him."

"Well, the knife wound's almost in his neck from where you're patching up…how could that not be fatal?" Icaryia asked, confused.

"Her kris isn't long enough to hit vital organs at this angle." Madison replied. "If it were a fatal blow, the blade would need to be longer and the angle pointing more inwards, towards his heart. This was thrown straight down into his shoulder, missing his main artery and only doing damage to his shoulder."

"How do you know all of this?" Icaryia said, with a hint of triumph in her voice.

"Because if there's only one thing in this world that I'm good at, it's being a good nurse." Madison replied. "Now, I'm taking him upstairs to finish my job. It's too intense down here for me to continue."

Down in Infershia, Morrigan cheerily ran into the main chamber, where Midhat sat, waiting for her.

"You look delighted." Midhat said, waving his fan.

"Oh, I have great news!" Morrigan said, bowing with a smile on her face. "My plan…my plan is flawlessly coming together!"

"Oh, I love a good report…" Midhat said, standing up slowly. "Ah, on my feet again…" He said with a smile. "Tell me…how did today's plans go?"

"I made a slight error in judgment…but it did not ruin my plans all that much. Just need to…patch up…my slight mistake…" She giggled.

"Since your plan has gone well so far…I shall permit you another day to finish this task…"

"Thank you, Master Midhat." Morrigan said with a bow before she left.

In the morning, the only new thing to have happened was that Nick's fever finally broke. However, he was still asleep, and the extent of his remaining allergic reactions was entirely unknown for the most part.

Madison ushered Chip downstairs, much to his chagrin, and the two shared the couch. She had wrapped his shoulder and neck up in a full cast, which he seemed to feel stupid for wearing.

"You want some tea?" Madison asked.

"No, I'm fine." Chip mumbled.

"Say, where is that troublesome Pink Magician?" Icaryia said, looking up from her tea.

"My sister," Madison huffed. "is still at home. She's going to go broom riding later."

"She'd better stay away from here," Icaryia replied. "the last thing my brother needs is a knife in the head to match the one he got in the shoulder."

"That's it!" Madison said, standing up and taking an aggressive pose, complete with a pair of clenched fists. "I'm sick of you being mean to my sister!"

Chip stood up, unsure of whose side to take. "C'mon now, both of you…let's try to be civil…"

"No! I'm done with being civil!" Madison said, turning around and facing Chip. "It's bad enough that she's continuously going after Vida, but now insulting her when she can't defend herself? That's low; much too low for my comfort. I don't care if it's your sister or not, I'm not going to stand by and let her antagonize my sister anymore!"

"I think I've had enough, too." Icaryia said, standing up. She pointed the tip of her wand at Madison's throat. "I will not take these insults from children…" She grimaced. "Charlie, as the oldest female still left in the family, I am obligated to protect you from harm and potential threats to your well-being. We're leaving."

Madison braced her legs, preparing to stand in front of Chip regardless of future events. Icaryia walked towards Chip and Madison, and with a quick shove, knocked Madison to the ground. She grabbed Chip's hand, but as she began to walk away with him, he shook her hand off. Icaryia glared.

"Charlie, we're going home." Icaryia said sternly.

"…I am home." Chip replied. Icaryia fumed and backhanded him across the left side of his face, causing him to step back and wrench his neck, further injuring himself.

"How dare you?" Icaryia replied as Chip winced and grabbed his shoulder.

"Whoa, wait a minute…" Xander said, walking up to Icaryia. "That was uncall-"

Icaryia turned her head and flashed him the most menacing glare he had ever seen in his entire life. "Okay, go ahead. No resistance here…" Xander backed away, back into his seat.

"I'm not sure if you noticed, Ica, but I'm not twelve anymore." Chip weakly replied as he stayed doubled over in pain. "I'm an adult. I have a responsibility…whether or not it puts me in harm's way is unimportant."

"As the head female-"

"You have the obligation to make sure that my life is lived without interruption. You…are becoming an interruption." Chip replied.

"Fine. Then I'm leaving. I'll be sure to dig you out of the ground later just to pay respects." She huffed and left Rootcore.

"That was brave of you." Clare said, walking up to Chip and helping him sit down.

"Thanks…" He replied with a weak smile.

"Did you really mean it…?" Madison said, getting up off the ground slowly.

"I did." Chip replied with a stronger smile. "She is not my mother…Udonna is." Chip looked down. "This was her will…for us to be together…fighting Infershia together…she believed in our unity…and even if I cared nothing for any of you…it would be what she wanted…for us to finish what she started…together. I would stay here to help you carry out her dream of a peaceful world…with…or without…my sister's aide." He blinked repeatedly, looking farther down.

"It's glad to know that we mean so much..." Xander replied, half sincerely, half sarcastically.

The rest of the day went by uneventfully, as the Mystic Force remained still entirely shocked by the events of the late morning. Madison, Xander, and Clare when she wasn't tending to Nick, worked long and hard to patch Chip's extended injury, and by dusk it seemed nearly healed. Madison finished off the work with a quick spritz of Chip's own Rapid Regeneration potion to help the last few layers of skin close up.

"There. All done." Madison said cheerfully. Chip smiled.

"You know, you, Xander, and Clare didn't have to work so hard…I mean, Nick's in worse shape than me."

"Well, it was a bad injury." Madison replied. "We do what we can."

Chip blushed lightly and looked down. "Well, thank you. Thank you all for your generosity."

"Don't mention it." Madison said. After a moment and a grin, she continued. "Really, don't mention it. If people find out that Xander's a sucker for tending to the wounded, not a woman in Briarwood will ever get hurt again."

Chip couldn't help but laugh at the mental image.

Chip walked downstairs with a smile on his face, despite his recent loss. For the first time in a while, he felt free, and alive.

From above dropped a figure, shining object in hand, driving nails into and newly healed shoulder.

Chip's back was slammed against the circular table, so he could easily see everything as the crystal ball glowed a bright black, darker than it had all day. The light was limited, but the visage clear. Vida stood above Chip, baring fangs as she grinned madly, holding the kris inches above the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sick of games! No more!" She screamed. "You're like a thankless cat; you can't ever die, and you can't be happy with the life you have…maybe if I stab you fatally enough times, you'll just end…"

Chip panicked and flailed, trying hard to keep his head from surging forward. His gauntlet shined a bright yellow, and as his right hand clamped down on her wrist, a shockwave of electricity flowed through her, causing her to drop the kris. He let go, and the force of the electricity flung her across the room, causing her to drop out of transformation.

"You…" Chip muttered as Morrigan struggled to recover from the attack. He picked the kris up by its tip and tossed it at her as she began to get up.

The blade flew through the air, skimming over her head, neck, and back, slicing off her cowl. The mask and cowl dropped to the floor, the porcelain mask shattering to pieces as strands of bright auburn fluttered down to greet it. A flash of gold dropped to the ground, bursting open, the glass inside cracking on impact. Chip's eyes widened as he gasped.

"………Ica……?" Chip said, the only word that could pass his lips as Morrigan stood up.

She laughed. "Always naïve…" Icaryia replied.

"…I…I don't believe…no! This is a trick!" Chip said, slowly standing up.

"Oh, you're quick to dismiss anything that isn't what you want…" Icaryia replied. "You refuse to believe in things that make no sense, yet you're a Magician, and you believe in the Heavenly Saints' ability to make your deepest wishes come true through your own courage…you're hypocritical."

Chip swallowed hard. "…Why…?"

"Darkness is everywhere…it controls us; you, me, your friends…we all feel the pull of the Master. The sooner we serve, the sooner we are saved."

"So did you sell your soul before mother and father died, or did you decide to desecrate their memory by betraying everything they worked for after a brief point of mourning?" He shouted.

"Oh, I gave Enma my loyalty many years ago…I promised him his greatest enemies on his doorstep…and I gave them to him…I enjoyed my glorious descent into his ranks…Lady Vankyuria was more than happy to give me a place in her piece of the army…"

"You…you were the one who betrayed us…? Who turned us over into Estrangalan's hands…?"

"Oh, now you're a smart boy…" Icaryia mocked. "Now…" Icaryia stepped on her mask as she grabbed the kris. "be a good boy and let me kill you…"

Chip pulled out his wand in an automatic reaction, but his hand was too shaky to aim properly.

"Does ickle Chip have a shake in his wrist…?" Icaryia said, using the tone he'd more than expect Icaryia to be using on Tsubasa than him.

He stepped back. "Ma…Ma…Maagi…Ma…gi…Ma….j-jii….ro!" He stammered out nervously. He then waited, but nothing happened. He decided to then stand straight up and give a serious pose. "Maagi Magi Majiiro!" Still nothing. "…Huh…?"

Icaryia laughed, tossing a Hawk's Eye into Chip's torso, causing him to fly over the crystal ball in the center and crash land into the dais.

"Hit the hay, you powerless ranger." She said coldly.

"Hey bitch! Eat this!" A voice from the doorway shouted. Icaryia turned around to spot Vida, already suited up and ready to rumble. "Jii Magi Majika! Squall Blaster!" Vida didn't need to spin for this attack; the Pink Fairy Crystal lit up on its own and spun the Battle Staff's prongs under its own power. A highly devastating wind spout shot out, quickly surging forth and slamming into Icaryia. It then spun upwards, sending her through the numerous floors of Rootcore and out through the leafy canopy.

"See ya later, you bat-crazy bitch!" Vida shouted as she saluted the ceiling.

Chip looked up, dazed, as Madison ran downstairs.

"What's going on, Vida?" Madison asked.

"That bitch Morrigan was here…so I blasted her!" Vida replied as she dropped her transformation. Apparently, Fly Boy couldn't take her, so I stepped in!"

"That…that was Ica…" Chip replied in a voice that couldn't have been much louder than a whisper, or shakier than a teakettle in an earthquake.

"Icaryia…attacked you?" Madison said, shocked.

"I thought that was just a trick…" Vida said in an equally shocked tone. "Well, explains why she tried so hard to get you guys to turn on me…"

"She wanted all of us to go after each other…" Madison said slowly.

"So that she could finish us off…" Vida replied.

"She must have known that you and Chip don't get along…"

"So she used it to her advantage…"

"Then she had everybody against you…"

"Well, her plan backfired." Vida replied. "We should go get her back for this."

"No. No revenge." Madison propped Chip up against the dais, then smiled. "We'll get Icaryia back, I promise."

Vida slammed her fist into her palm. "Either that, or we'll beat the evil out of her!"

"Vida…" Madison scolded.

"What?" Vida asked, oblivious to the forlorn look Chip was giving her. She looked over and saw it, then frowned. "…oh."

"Let's go, sis. She should still be in the forest."

"Right." Madison then looked at Chip. "Will you be okay here on your own?" Chip didn't respond verbally; he merely gave Madison a look of faltering confidence. "I'll take that as a yes." She said, standing up. "Let's go."

"We're taking my broom, I hope you know." Vida warned.

"Whatever, let's just go."

After nearly ten minutes of flying low to the ground, they finally found Icaryia tending to her bruises near a small brook. She looked up once she noticed the sound of the broom flying towards her. Vida and Madison had already transformed and were prepared for a worst-case scenario.

"Oh, hello Magicians." Icaryia said in a sweet tone. "Glad to see you two here. Do you need something?"

"Don't you DARE sweet talk us, you bitch!" Vida said, pointing at her as she leaped off the broom.

"We know what you've done, and it's disturbing and wrong." Madison said, walking up next to Vida. "But we're willing to forgive you if you come back to the Light."

"Oh please. You and your childish pacifism…you act like the world can be fixed through debates." Icaryia mocked as she stood up. "I abandoned the Light because it means nothing in the end. The Saints don't give you what you need…they don't give you power or strength."

"That's because you don't believe, Icaryia. Come with us…we can help you see the Light and its glory…"

"The world lives and thrives in darkness; every mortal knows that. The only way to achieve things is through darkness!"

"Sis, she's too far gone. I say we just trash her." Vida said.

"If there is no other option…" Madison replied. "I was hoping, for Chip's sake, that we wouldn't have to fight…"

Vida summoned the boxing gloves and her wings, while Madison summoned her trident.

"Let's make this quick." Vida said.

"I agree." Madison said.

"But first, a well placed speech." Vida said. Madison knew what she meant, and both took tough poses.

"We are the Rocca Sisters, defenders of love and justice! You've violated the love of another human being, and by the power of the Heavenly Saints, we shall punish you!"

"Don't make me laugh…"

Madison pulled out the first attack as she leaped into the air. Vida then charged at Icaryia, fist out, ready to strike.

Icaryia transmuted her wand into a crossbow, and fired off a bolt of wind into Madison as she came down to strike. "What a buffoon of a dragoon." She laughed.

Vida threw a right hook into Icaryia's gut, making her stumble back a bit. Icaryia sneered, then fired a wind bolt at point blank range into Vida's face, sending her flying back onto the hood of her broom.

Madison used her trident as a crutch to help herself up. She then sent a wave of water towards Icaryia, which made her change her crossbow back into a wand.

"Aero Corona!" The demon wind hydra shot forth, slamming into the wave and crushing it before ramming into Madison and tossing her far off into the trees. "Now do you feel the power of darkness? Do you see now why the Saints are meaningless? What power have they given you?"

Vida stood up. "They've given us courage!"

Madison slowly pushed herself up as well. "They've given us hope!"

"We'll show you just what we've got!" Vida said, flapping her wings. "Ready sis?"

"Ready!" Maddie said, preparing her trident.

Vida's wings began to flutter at sonic speeds as Madison began to twirl her trident, collecting water from the air. "Jii Jinga Majika Majuna! Hurricane Cross!" Madison then leaped into the air once her trident was completely immersed in a wall of water. Vida then took flight, hovering mere millimeters off the ground.

"This again…?" Icaryia snickered. She transmuted her wand back into the crossbow and began firing at Madison. However, the water from her trident deflected every shot. Madison hit the ground, driving the trident into the ground and releasing a massive tidal wave just as Vida began preparing her attack.

She dropped her left foot, sending herself into a tight spiral above the ground. As she collided with the wave, her wings collected all of the water and flung it around her between Vida's body and the wall of air around her. Vida thrust her arms up over her head, forcing the water to form a point above her as she continued spinning. Icaryia had only a few seconds to react, which she never decided to use. Vida drilled into her midsection, causing the pressurized water to explode around her violently, tearing at her suit and exposed skin. The force of the slam sent her flying back nearly the length of a football field, through branches and trees alike until she finally hit the ground, blacking out on impact.

Vida stopped her spinning and proceeded to try and stabilize herself. "Whoo, talk about a rough spin cycle…" Vida said, placing her hand against her head after unsummoning the gloves.

"Checkmate!" Madison said, snapping her fingers and grinning. "That'll show her who's weak." Madison cheerfully said, jokingly punching Vida's shoulder.

"Checkmate, right." Vida nodded. "Seems almost ironic to use it now, doesn't it?"

"Yeah…" Madison replied, looking down. "We should go back to Rootcore to check on Chip."

"I second that one. I hope she didn't rustle Bird Boy's feathers too much…" They then both dropped out of transformation and headed for Vida's broom.

Within a few minutes, the girls arrive back at Rootcore, only to find Chip mindlessly waving his wand around slowly.

"What's wrong with Garnet…?" Vida said. Chip looked up at them, his eyes and nose almost as red as his hair.

"Oh Chip…" Madison ran over and knelt down beside Chip and hugged him tightly.

Chip dropped his wand and began to cry, which made Madison pull him closer. "It'll be okay…I promise…" Madison said, rubbing his back.

Vida walked over and hugged him as well. "We're here for ya, Chip."

"Everything'll be fine…" Madison said, sighing.

Deep in the forest, Icaryia's eyes shot open and she slowly got up. She brushed herself off and slowly collected her thoughts. "My plan…failed…" She muttered as she began to walk towards the Mysterian border. "Mistress Vankyuria will take me back…I will come back…" She said, laughing viciously to herself.

Madison stood up, bringing Vida and Chip up with her. Chip quickly clinged to her, crying on her shoulder, and letting his hood fall down over his head. Madison sighed and pulled him close. "Vi, you wanna take him home with us?"

"Dad won't mind…" Vida said.

"Good." Madison said with a smile.

Vida looked down and spotted the open locket. She walked over to it and looked down. The glass inside had shattered almost perfectly, forever dividing the girl and boy in the picture, as it now seemed to be in life.


	19. Int: The Duchess Returns With Suspicions

Nai and Mae took their perches on top of Xander's roof, as they did every night.

"Will he be reading, or stargazing?" Nai asked.

"I think Fridays are his reading nights." Mae replied.

"Is it Friday already?" Nai asked, looking at Mae.

"I believe so." Mae replied.

"It seems so soon to be Friday." Nai said.

"The world spins fast when you're in Infershia all the time." Mae commented.

"True, very true…"

"Ooh! Here he comes!" Mae said, nudging Nai. Xander walked out carrying a large white pot with gold linings which was inhabited by a large sprig of thin, tall leaves and potting soil out to the balcony.

"Oh, I was wrong…" Mae said. "Why isn't he reading…?"

"What kind of plant is that?" Nai said, taking out a mini telescope out of Mae's bag.

"It's a big plant…and it smells nice…" Mae said. "It smells like shidarezakura in March…"

"Definitely not shidarezakura…" Nai replied. "I don't think I've ever seen a plant like it…"

"I miss home…" Mae said softly, lightly kicking her feet.

Nai set down the binoculars. "I miss everything." She replied.

"I miss our sister." Mae said, making Nai look over at her.

"Forget her. We are by ourselves here." Nai replied coldly.

"No. I won't forget."

"It's pointless to miss her." Nai said, crossing her arms. "We have mahoutsukai to spy on."

"I want to spend time with somebody other than you and the Hideacs." Mae said.

"Oh no, not again…" Nai replied.

"Can't we find somebody else to talk to?" Mae asked.

"Like who?"

"I don't know. Anybody, I guess."

"Aren't I enough for you?" Nai asked.

"You are…" Mae replied. "but…I just want more friends. We have none anymore…"

"We don't, do we…?" Nai said, looking over at Mae.

"All of them are painted in the temple now…" Mae replied.

Nai and Mae sighed.

"We'll try to make friends, okay?" Nai said. "But we can't just be friends with anybody."

"I know." Mae replied. She then hugged Nai. "Arigato, Nai-chan."

"No problem, Mae-chan."

Down in Infershia, Midhat sat on his throne, waving his fan around as he waited for his guest to arrive.

"Is she trying to be fashionably late…?" He griped. "Nobody makes me wait this much without retribution…"

Out of the sky dropped a black flash, which quickly came into focus and formed out a woman bowing.

"Forgive my tardiness, dear old friend," The woman said in a light and airy tone. "but I can only fly overseas so quickly…"

The woman stood up, revealing her full form. Her skin was naturally a murky grey, with blood red lines across her cheeks and above her eyebrows, as well as lines drawn up from her exposed chest around her heart, shooting upwards and across, showing off the veins. She wore a black leather corset attached to a pair of black leather hot pants by numerous garters, black fingerless PVC full arm gloves which allowed her to show off her sharp nails, and a pair of thigh-high black leather boots. Her eyes were nearly as grey as her skin, her lips were permanently stained red, and her fangs popped out over her bottom lip. Her long, frizzy, platinum blonde hair was set back in two ponytails that seemed to mimic Vankyuria's head wings, and instead of bat wings, a pair of black angel wings sat upon her shoulder blades and extended down to her feet.

"Necrolai, I suspect you know why I have called for you." Midhat said, standing up.

"I suspect that my dear sister has failed your services." Necrolai said coldly as she crossed her arms.

"Not in the way you put it…" Midhat said. "But her servant has failed me. I have called you in because I am in dire need of your expertise in combat."

"I see, old friend." Necrolai replied with a smile. She then looked around. "Where is my bumbling sister, anyways?"

"Off doing her nightly job…" Midhat said.

"Oh…? Job…? What does she do?" Necrolai asked.

"She spies on our main targets, the Mystic Force." Midhat replied.

"So…human watching." Necrolai replied with a huff. "It's less of a job than it is a hobby."

"You don't think she's capable of doing the job?" Midhat asked.

"No, she could human watch all day. The question is if she puts it to any good use or if it's just for pleasure."

"Why don't you accompany her for the night? She should still be making her rounds…" Midhat said, swirling his fan around in the air.

"Oh, I will," Necrolai replied. "only Enma knows what she's up to without supervision…"

"Then go." Midhat said, swinging his fan. Necrolai blurred out as she shadow strafed upwards and took flight.

Necrolai quickly found Nai and Mae giggling as they watched Xander trim up the strange plant he had dragged outside.

"He looks funny with garden shears…" Nai said.

"He looks funny all the time." Mae retorted.

"Touche." Nai said, pointing at Mae. Suddenly, Necrolai flew up behind them.

"And just what are you two gossiping over?" Necrolai harped. She was loud enough to catch Xander's attention, which made Nai and Mae panic and jump Necrolai, pushing the three of them down out of sight.

Xander looked up at his roof, giving it a strange look. "I must be hearing things again…" He said, shaking his head before going back to his botany project.

"You almost got us caught!" Nai scolded quietly as they levitated back to where they were before.

"You're just watching him, giggling away…I presume he's one of our enemies…?" Necrolai asked.

"He's the Midori no Mahoutsukai!" Mae replied. "He's the dumb one."

"Then why don't you just drop a bat bomb on his head or something? He'd never see it coming…"

"Too easy." Nai said.

"If we're to kill him, it'll he the old-fashioned way…" Mae replied.

"Oh? How so?"

"By draining him of life, of course!" They replied simultaneously.

"Well, If I'm right, you've had nearly five months to do so…what are you waiting for?"

Nai and Mae fell silent. "I'd rather do it in the fall." Nai finally replied.

"Me too."

"For now, the Mahoutsukai are merely entertainment." They both replied.

Necrolai huffed. "You're a disgrace." She the looked between both Nai and Mae, then grabbed them by the arms. "Pull yourself together, for Enma's sake…" She slammed the duo together, back into Vankyuria.

"Dear sister, why'd you do that so roughly…?" Vankyuria said, rubbing the white mohawk in the middle of her head.

"Because you need a good lesson. Tomorrow, we attack." Necrolai said, grabbing her arm. "Now, let's go back."

"But, but…I haven't finished my roun-gah!" Necrolai roughly began to fly off, dragging Vankyuria behind her. Xander once again looked behind himself at his roof.

"I really need to get my hearing checked." He muttered to himself.

After Necrolai put Vankyuria to bed, she walked back out into the throne room, where she bowed quickly to Midhat.

"So, what did you wish to speak to me about, Necrolai?" Midhat asked, standing up.

"I am growing suspicious of the queen, and as the Duchess of Vampires, I feel it is my duty to bring up such suspicions of mine."

"Do you think that she is not doing her job?" Midhat said.

"Oh, she is doing her job, old friend, but she is not doing the job that Enma would like her to do." Necrolai replied. "I know that she has a very playful side to her, a side that requires much pampering and care, a very aesthetic side…I think she is catering to that more than she is keeping to her assigned duties."

"How so…?" Midhat knew much about pleasing his aesthetic side, but he knew that there was a time and a place for such things as well.

"I found her tonight giggling over the Green Magician's current hobby instead of planning on ways to destroy him. She told me that she would not strike any of them during this time of the year as well…I do fear that she will be led astray by her whims…"

"Well then, if you do not think she is taking a proper path, then you are permitted to watch her and guide her as you see fit. If anything else of this manner occurs, come to me about it."

"Yes, my old friend." She bowed slightly.

"For tonight, I would like for you to check the troops. Perhaps a bit of rigorous training is in order, as well. We've lost quite a few regiments fighting these Magicians, as weak and pitiful as they are."

"As you wish." Necrolai bowed, then walked down a corridor that led to the Spawning Grounds.


	20. The Bluest Skies

Back in Briarwood, Vida and Madison were finishing up their nightly chores. Madison peeked out from the small opening in the wall that divided the kitchen and the living room and looked out at Chip who was still red-faced, but had finally calmed down enough to breathe.

"I can't believe we managed to get him off of you earlier." Vida said, taking the drying towel to a plate Madison had just finished washing.

"Neither can I." She replied.

"Ya know, I really think that he genuinely likes you. Like, likes you, likes you."

"Oh, shush."

"I mean, he's so clingy…"

"I'm just a really supportive person, that's all."

"Whatever." Vida said with a grin.

"Oh stop it." Madison said, pouring out a cup of tea. "He's just grieving." She grabbed a saucer for the teacup and brought it out to Chip. She set it down in front of him, making him look up with a look of pain.

Madison frowned and sat down next to Chip. "Have some herbal tea and relax, Chip. You'll feel better." She smiled and rubbed his back. "Take your boots and cloak off, make yourself at home. Get comfortable and just 'chill out', as Nick says."

Chip looked down and through the cup of tea, and Madison frowned. She sighed and got up, walking to her room. Her father approached her and stopped her outside her door.

"Hey…Madison…what's wrong with your friend?" He asked in a concerned tone.

"He…he had a loss today…somebody close to him." Madison replied quietly.

Mr. Rocca fell silent; he knew he recognized Chip's demeanor. He was reminded of both himself and Vida after the passing of Mrs. Rocca, and he could only imagine what Chip was thinking. "You…you get ready for bed, Madison. I'll keep an eye on him for ya."

"Okay, dad." Madison replied, going into her room.

Mr. Rocca walked over to the couch and sat down next to Chip; Chip was too lost in his thoughts to notice.

"Hey there, Charlie. Good to see ya." Mr. Rocca said, slapping Chip on the back. Chip didn't even seem fazed. Mr. Rocca gave a look of defeat as Vida walked out with the final dish she had to dry. She gave her dad her look of warning, and he responded with a look suggesting that he knew already. Vida looked down at the dish, then walked back in the kitchen to put it away.

He wrapped his arm around Chip's shoulders and pulled him towards him. "I heard about what's going on, and I'll be the first to stand up and tell ya that I know how ya feel. You're probably thinking that it's never going to get better, and I'm gonna tell ya that it's never gonna be as good as it was. Life never is. And I thought that life was meaningless for a while after Sarah passed, but it took my little ten year old daughter Madison to help me realize that it wasn't. She pointed out to me, one day, that the sky was always the bluest after the worst kinds of storms, and that's life in all, Charlie. The world is rough, and the storms can tear everything apart, but if we pick ourselves up, we will all see the bluest skies."

Chip blinked, then looked up at Mr. Rocca, giving him a look of understanding. "Well, at least you're not a total lump on a log like I thought." Mr. Rocca joked. "But you're a wreck. You need something to mellow you out, and I know just the thing." He reached into his cloak pocket and pulled out a rectangular glass bottle filled with and amber-colored fluid. "A little bit'll make you feel right at home." Mr. Rocca added with a wink. Chip's face contorted as if he were trying to fight a smile onto his face. "You're free to stay here, sleep on the couch, whatever. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" Chip gave a confirming vocalization before Mr. Rocca got up and left.

Chip watched Mr. Rocca walk into his room, then began staring at the glass bottle. He then looked at the teacup, then back at the glass bottle. He shrugged before taking his cloak up and hanging it up on the coathanger.

Vida left the area promptly, because she was fairly sure she knew what was about to happen.

Madison, who had just finished her shower, walked out roughly a half hour later in her bathrobe and slippers. She noticed that Chip was no longer where he had been on the couch, and she became worried. "…Chip…?"

She walked over to the table and picked up the tipped over empty glass bottle and the lone saucer. She then felt a hand grab her shoulder. She leaped and screamed, and the sound of laughter came from behind her. She turned around to find Chip, holding the still-full teacup, laughing hysterically behind her. He found her terror amusing, and she found his ability to keep the tea from spilling everywhere amazing. She could smell the liquor on his breath.

"Oh great, you're drunk." Madison said.

"Oh, I'm gone." Chip replied, adding in a laugh. "Best thing is, I feel amazing. I completely forgot that my sister tried to kill me twice in the last two days!" He paused for a moment, blinking, "Okay, so maybe I haven't completely forgotten…but it doesn't really matter any more to me, does it?" He took a long drink for the tea. "This really kills that burning headache…"

"How much did you have to drink…?" Madison asked.

"The whole bloody thing." Chip replied, taking a break between sips.

Madison picked up the bottle. She couldn't imagine anybody drinking the entire bottle in less than twelve hours, let alone a half hour.

"All of this?" Madison asked, her eyes wide in shock.

"Yeah. It was delicious, I tell ya." He replied.

"You could die!" She replied, shoving the bottle in his face.

"So? I'm already dead. Dying a second time's probably more fun."

"…Don't say that…" Madison said, watching him finish down his cup of tea. She set the bottle down on the table and took the teacup from him. "You're not dead. You're very much alive."

Chip laughed. "No, no…I assure you that I've been dead for quite some time. See, there was this thing that happened a few months ago, with me and my family, and we were flying around and BOOM! we're all toast…"

"You didn't die. Udonna and Clare saved you."

"Sure, they fixed my body, all right. Doesn't mean I'm still alive."

Madison understood what he meant, and it terrified her to hear him say it.

"I'm getting you to bed. I don't wanna hear you any more."

"Ooh, I get a bed now. Maybe I should get completely shitfaced more often. Maybe next time, I'll get an entire room to myself…" Chip joked.

"Ugh…let's go…I still have to get dressed for bed…"

"You ran out here in only a bathrobe? What a brave woman you are." Chip replied.

"Well, I didn't expect to be playing a drunken game of hide and seek with you." Madison replied, sounding slightly annoyed.

Madison opened her bedroom door and let him in. He walked over to her bed and roughly began getting his boots off as Madison began getting clothes to wear to bed. She walked into the bathroom as Chip kicked his shoeless feet up onto the bed. Madison looked back at him as he attempted to sleep; he seemed to be at peace. She smiled and closed the door behind herself.

She sighed as she hung up her bathrobe on the door. She almost couldn't believe Chip would talk about himself in the way he had, but she realized that his brain was most likely swimming in alcohol. She put on her lace boxers and zipped up her corset, sighing as she tied a bow at the top with the remaining string left. She had always had tons of string left over with her corsets; she could sometimes hear Vida snickering about it.

"Look at you, with your tiny body…" Vida would always say. Madison knew it was a compliment, but it usually didn't feel that way.

As she began to put on her nightgown, the door flew open, scaring Madison. Chip had burst into the bathroom, and he quickly kneeled over the toilet and began throwing up. Madison felt both grossed out and relieved at the same time, knowing that he was getting whatever he hadn't ingested out of his system. She waited until after the fourth long heave out of him to attempt to get close.

He began gasping for air and coughing as he laid his forehead on the back of the toilet rim. Madison kneeled beside him and gave him a soft backrub.

"Are you done, you think?" She asked. He weakly nodded in the affirmative and she pressed down on the handle.

"You're too kind…" Chip muttered.

"I went through years of this…I'm used to it." Madison replied. "Unfortunately."

"I….I don't deserve this." Chip muttered as Madison began pouring a glass of water for him.

"Here, wash the taste out of your mouth." She said, offering up the glass. Chip slowly picked himself up and grabbed the glass. He stumbled over to the sink and began swishing the water around his mouth and spitting it into the sink.

"Oh shit, I hit your nightgown." Chip said.

"Don't worry about it, it's just spit." Madison replied, walking over to his side. "You're a guest in my house." She said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "You're allowed to do whatever anybody else in the house could do, including make messes. I'll just clean it out later."

Chip grinned a bit, then emptied the glass. "I feel privileged."

"You're one of my closest friends." Madison replied. "I do what I do because I care."

Chip seemed to freeze up for the moment, and he suddenly dropped the glass, shattering it. Madison bent over the sink, then looked up at him with a look of shock on her face. "What did you do that for?"

Chip grinned and leaned over Madison.

"Hm?" She said. He pushed her back up straight, then placed his hand behind the back of her head. Without provocation, he forcefully pressed his lips against hers, causing her to step back. Chip held out his spare hand for support to keep her from hitting the wall. Madison flinched and pulled his hand off her head, then shoved him away. "No, no, I won't."

"I…I thought…" Chip looked confused.

"No, you're not thinking straight. I won't take advantage of you like this." Madison said.

"This is as clear as I've ever thought before…"

"No, you're drunk. You're more than drunk." Madison sighed. "I know it's unfair, but I'm not gonna let this happen to either of us…not like this."

Chip turned his back to her. "I was right, when I thought about it…"

Madison looked at him. "What…?"

"We're not meant to be close, like I wish…"

"What…?"

"I mean, it's obvious…I'm just too far gone…you need somebody like Xander, or Nick…somebody who won't drag you down like me…"

"I don't…I don't like them like that…what are you going on about…?"

"I've done so many bad things…I don't deserve you…" He dropped to his knees.

"Chip, stand up…you're being overdramatic…I just said that I'm not gonna take advantage of you, not that I don't like you or that you're a bad person…" She reached out to grab his shoulder, but he swatted her hand away.

"I'm a horrible person…I tried to kill your sister because I was bitter…"

"That's understandable. She made a mistake, and to be upset and want some sort of payback is understandable."

"And I despised everybody because we couldn't do anything right for the longest time…"

"You were thrown into a group of people you didn't know. It's okay to not like people until you're familiar with them…"

"And I've hurt you…I turned to darkness to save you…and it was a stupid choice…"

"You…what?" Madison wasn't sure what he meant. A flag raised in her mind, however; how he got into Infershia to save her. She assumed he meant that. "Oh…"

"If I fell to darkness so easy, why do you think Ica did? I wasn't strong enough to stop either of us from doing it!"

"Icaryia being the way she is wasn't your fault; don't ever blame yourself for that!" Madison shouted. "She's a raving lunatic; she's tried to kill you…she didn't care about you or anybody else but herself…nobody becomes that heartless just from doing a few dark magic spells…she was heartless long ago…"

"I could have tried to be a better brother!" Chip shouted back.

"It wouldn't have helped. She wouldn't have changed at all for the better…she would've become worse…she would've used you even more…" Madison hugged him tightly, this time not being shoved away. Warm drops of water slowly dripped down on her arms, and she sighed. "You're not a bad person, and I'm no better than you. You're not dead, you're very much alive. Dead people don't care what they do; you obviously do. You're here, and alive, and you're very much a good person. You just need some sleep."

Madison helped Chip up and began walking him back to her bed. She pulled back the sheets and lightly dropped him into them; wrapping him up comfortably. Chip looked up at her.

"Where are you sleeping?" He asked, sniffling.

"I'm gonna grab my pillow and sleep here on the floor. You have the bed to yourself."

Chip groaned. "There's enough room for us both. Get in bed."

"Chip, you're kinda pushing my dad's hospitality."

"I won't do anything…" He muttered, closing his eyes.

"Chip…"

"Get the hell into bed or I swear to Magiel that I will beat the stuffing out of you." He gruffly cut her off. Madison sighed and walked to the other side of her bed and dropped herself on top of it, bouncing slightly.

"I'm not even in a nightgown." She griped.

"Who cares?" Chip replied, rolling over. He sniffled and smiled weakly. "You're fine…" He scooted over and hugged her. "Thank you…so much…"

"You're welcome." She replied. Chip closed his eyes and sighed, letting go of Madison and rolling on his back.

"Goodnight." He muttered.

"Goodnight." She replied. However, he was already asleep before she had the time to respond.

Vida stood outside Madison's bedroom door, grinning. "Oh, I can't resist…" She muttered. She then tiptoed into her room and pulled out her wand. "Parle Parfait."

"Hello…? What the hell are you doing, calling me so late?"

"I got a plan…" Vida said, grinning widely.

"Oh…do tell."

The next morning, Madison was up and going, tending to flowers in the garden, while Vida was busy pruning a rose bush.

"How's Chip doing?" Vida asked.

"He's okay. He's still asleep, I think. He's going to have the worst headache ever when he wakes up, though." Madison replied.

"Oh yeah." Vida replied.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I heard him throwing up, and I was just curious."

"Yeah…he's okay…a little out of his mind, but okay."

"Isn't he always?" Vida joked. Madison gave a laugh during her exhale.

Madison turned around and noticed a small mound of yellow and orange feathers sticking out of her cloak pocket. "What's that?" Madison asked, pointing.

"Oh, heh." Vida pulled out one of her many hippogryph dolls made from Tsubasa's down feathers. "I've been putting the overgrown chocobo's feathers to use."

"It's cute! Do you have another one?" Madison asked.

"Of course! I've got tons of em…I'll get one for ya later."

"Why can't I have that one?" Madison asked.

"I'm gonna go flying today…wanted to have him riding with me for good luck." Vida replied.

"Oh, okay." Madison replied.

"In fact, I'm gonna go now, okay?" Vida replied, sneakily grabbing two small yellow stones from the pile of stones around the rose bush.

"Okay." Madison said, setting some flowers up in the basket below her windowsill. "Take care."

"Will do, sis." Vida smiled and got up, walking out to the broom shed.

Vida departed for the mountain range, flying on instinct. She knew where she was going; she hated not telling Madison what she was doing, but she knew Madison would protest. On her way, the smell of rotting flesh caught her attention; she looked down and noticed a jagged rock formation in a clearing, with rotting remains tangled up in them, crows picking away at what was left.

"Awesome…" Vida muttered to herself, flying onwards.

She flew up to the highest peak in the mountains, where a lone altar stood. A small ramp pointing straight into the heavens sat beneath a large yellow pillar, a small basin sitting at the bottom. Vida kneeled on the cushion in front of the basin and folded her hands in prayer.

"Oh mighty Volgel, hear my prayers…" She said, closing her eyes. "I beseech your infinite wisdom in this time of need…" She sighed. "I have a friend who is lost, someone who needs guidance…I come to you knowing that you are wise and fair…I hope that you can show me what I can do to help him…and I hope that you can show him too…"

She exhaled heavily as she pulled the little hippogryph doll out of her pocket and dropped it into the basin. She then took the two rocks from her other pocket and quickly struck them together, sending sparks down into the basin and igniting the hippogryph doll. Its flames ignited a small spot on the ramp, and a yellow flash of light shot up the ramp, flying into the sky and disappearing amongst the clouds. Vida waited until the hippogryph doll finished burning before getting up and leaving to return to Briarwood.

Chip got up slowly, trying to open his eyes without searing his pupils. "Ugh…bright…" He groaned as he slid out of bed.

He looked around the room, and noticed that the yellow garuda plush he had won for Madison at the fair was sitting on her nightstand next to her alarm clock. He smiled as he stood up. "Glad she liked it." He muttered as he stumbled out of the room.

He wandered out into the living room, where Mr. Rocca sat. "Ah, Charlie, my boy! You're alive! I was afraid ya ran off!" He said.

"No…" Chip replied, rubbing his eyes.

"What were you doing in Madison's room?" He asked gruffly.

Chip looked directly at him with a confused look on his face. "…I'm not quite sure, sir." He replied blankly.

Mr. Rocca stood up. "I'd better not find out something devious about all this, boy…" He replied. "Madison won't talk, you're not sure…"

"Well, I remember throwing up in her bathroom, and that's about it…" Chip replied.

"I see." He replied, sighing. "Well, I can't do anything about what I don't know about…" He walked over to Chip and slapped him hard on the back. "Just…relax a little. Have some coffee or tea-"

Chip's eyes shot wide open. "Oh dear Magiel…" Chip looked over at Mr. Rocca. "Where is Maddie?"

"Outside in the garden."

Chip began heading for the sliding doors. "Maddie!" He shouted.

"Wonder what riled him…"

Chip ran outside to find Madison peacefully organizing flowers. He ran up beside her and scarwd her. "Oh Magiel, I'm so sorry, Maddie…" He said. "Please forgive me for last night…" He said, clinging to her arm.

"Chip, Chip…calm down…" Madison said, slightly confused. She patted him on the head lightly. "Calm down, I forgive you…"

"No, I was a complete dolt and I was brash and idiotic…"

"You were also completely intoxicated." She said, slowly prying him off her arm. "That sort of thing happens. Although, I had to clean up the glass you broke. Luckily, glass is liquid, so-"

Chip looked at her awkwardly. "…Glass? I broke a glass…?"

"You don't remember breaking the glass in my sink?" Madison asked, surprised.

"No. When did I do that?"

"…What's the last thing you remember…?" Madison asked, setting down her scissors and turning to him.

"Well, I was drinking tea and being a total pissant, and you were scolding me, and then I remember getting sick in your bathroom, and then I kind of blacked out…" Chip gave her a concerned look. "I didn't do anything rash afterwards, did I?"

"Um, well…" Madison looked down. "You went off telling me about what a horrible person you are, and you gave me a whole bunch of reasons why I should hate you…but they were all stupid reasons. I dragged you off to bed and you passed out."

Chip sighed a breath of relief. "Oh thank goodness. I thought I did something stupid and brash."

"You're pretty tame, even when completely trashed." Madison replied halfheartedly with a weak laugh.

Back at Rootcore, Clare paced around, watching over Nick. "I hope you're okay…I wish you could give me a sign…" The Snow Staff lit up. "Wow, what a message." She replied. It pulsed, as it always did when something was wrong. "Eh?" She grabbed the staff and ran downstairs. The crystal ball was illuminated with darkness, and revealed Necrolai roaming around the forest with a small army of Hideacs. "Oh, this can't be good…"

"Oh dear sister…" Necrolai called out. "Where have you gone…?"

"Stop following me!" Nai called out.

Her and Mae had split up to try and avoid Necrolai, but it was no use. She put herself in severe danger, splitting up as such, since the two bodies were much weaker in this state. Luckily, the two always knew where each other were; the only problem now would be getting back together.

"Dear sister, pull yourself together! You look horrible!" Necrolai said. "We've got a town to destroy and Mahoutsukai to murder! We don't have time for your games."

I told you, not until the fall!" Nai said, throwing a fit above the trees.

"Until the fall? Dear, everything will be gone by then!" Necrolai replied.

"Can't we wait?" Nai replied.

"Infershia waits on nobody's commands but the Master's!"

Thanks to Nai's stalling and perfect strategy, Mae had managed to get out of the forest and into Briarwood safely. To prevent being attacked by any of the Mystic Force, she had pulled a large cloak out of her bag and put it on.

Vida flew alongside Mae, who was running deeper into town. "Hey, you!" She shouted.

"Monsters!" She shouted, trying to keep Vida away.

"Monsters?"

"Monsters in the forest!" Mae shouted back, trying to divert Vida's attention. Vida's wand glowed, and Clare's voice came up from the crystal.

"Vida! There's an interesting little convention happening in the forest; I think you should get whoever you can drag along to check this out…"

"Got it." Vida replied. She called up Xander. "Xander, we got trouble."

Xander sighed in disgust. "Ya know, Infershia seems to have a schedule of whenever I'm relaxing or on break, I swear it." He said. "I'll catch up to you…" He replied disdainfully.

"Got it." Vida then transformed en route to the forest.

A few minutes later, Xander had completely suited up and was on his broom. He began to rev up to chase Vida when a rustling sound came from the hedges on the side of his house. "Hm?" He hummed to himself, looking quickly. He didn't see anything unusual, so he cruised off.

Mae looked up, and found that a white tissue was stuck to her head. "Ew, hankie!"

Blasts rang out in the forest, and trees began to fall as Xander caught up to Vida.

"Well, I bet I can find out where the trouble's coming from." Vida joked.

"Those poor trees…they didn't live to see the holidays…" Xander griped.

"Let's go, Mr. Green." Vida joked as she took off.

"That's Father Nature to you, you nutjob!" Xander shouted back.

They continued to fly around, dodging blasts and trees.

"Get back here, sister!" Necrolai screeched. "We're not done yet!"

Four small cherry bombs painted to look like little samurai bats flew over the shoulders of Vida and Xander, landing down into the crowd of Hideacs. The blast shook the brooms so hard that they knocked Vida and Xander out of the sky and into the crowd of Hideacs.

"Oh! Look what we've got here!" Necrolai squealed, clapping her hands together and grinning as the Hideacs formed a circle around them. "The virile Pink Magician, and the vacuous Green Magician."

"I am not vacuous!" Xander shouted. "…I think."

"Get them!" Necrolai ordered, pointing at them.

Xander pulled Vida up and close to him. "Don't think so!" Xander shouted. "Jii Magi Majika! Granite Maiden!"

A rock wall shot up around the crowd of Hideacs, encasing both the crowd and the Magicians in a rock dome.

"Nice going, Father Nature." Vida said in a mocking tone. A second later, thousands of jagged rocks shot up around the Magicians, ensnaring Hideacs left and right and driving them up into the ceiling, where they were forced down into the spikes. A rain of entrails began to pour.

"Gross…Jii Magi Majika! Tornado Wall!" A wall surrounded Vida and Xander, which tossed away everything that tried to come in contact with them.

Xander dropped the wall and the bodies and Vida dropped the tornado.

"Impressive, I must say…" Necrolai said, slowly clapping. "but I'm afraid that I wasn't after you, per se…"

"Cut the shit. Who are you?" Vida asked.

"Oh, you are quite the alpha female, aren't you?" Necrolai joked. "Down, boy, down…"

Xander dropped his transformation and stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Xander." He said with a smile.

"Oh, formalities from a human? I'm intrigued that you creatures learned such things." Necrolai chuckled. "I'll humor you, I guess. My name is Necrolai, Duchess of Vampires and servant of the Master." Necrolai smiled. "You're the one with the balcony, aren't you?"

Xander looked shocked. "How did you…"

"Oh, you think we haven't tried to track you pathetic creatures?"

"I told you Vi, they're following us." Xander said, looking back.

"I shall let you go for the day, as my plans are to do other things besides conversing with you pathetic Magicians. Once my job is done, I'll be coming for you all." She said before disappearing in a cloud of black smoke.

"How could we not have noticed that we're being watched…?" Vida said.

"We shouldn't take our chances." Xander said. "We have to become isolated for a while."

"No, I say we stay living out our daily habits…just…be more alert."

"Fine." Xander replied.

"Alright, I'm going home…you coming with?" Vida winked.

"In a few."

"Got it." They then retrieved their brooms and flew off.

As Xander headed back to his house, he watched as a flash of black erupted from his backyard. He watched as the flutter of black shot up into the sky, only for another flutter of black to collide with it and push it back down into his backyard and crash around, kicking debris into the air.

"What the hell…?" Xander muttered as he flew off towards his house.

"Ah, sister…I knew I'd find you here…" Necrolai said as she yanked at Vankyuria's head wings.

"Let…let go!" She shouted.

"Off we go!" Necrolai cackled as they disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"What's going on…?" Xander wondered aloud.

Back at the Rocca household, Vida found Chip wandering around, and she stopped him outside the main bathroom.

"Hey there, sunshine!" Vida said with an unusual cheer to her tone.

"…Hi…" Chip muttered.

"Can I see you in here for a sec?" Vida asked.

"Um…okay…" Chip replied as he followed her in.

Chip looked around the bathroom; inside sat a large bathtub, a toilet, and a sink, along with several towels in a long bar. He had no clue what the problem was.

"What do you need, Vida…?" Chip asked, walking closer to the tub to inspect it. It appeared to be leaking. "Is this it…? Shouldn't you be asking Madison for help with this…?"

Vida grinned. "Nope…you're just the man for the job…"

With a swish of her wand and a flash of pink light, she had completely de-robed Chip, and in his moment of utter shock, she booted him in the ass hard enough to send him flying into the tub. He sat up and turned around, giving her a look that was a mix of loathing and fear.

"What? You act like you like I've never seen a guy naked before!" Vida said, grinning. "You probably don't realize this, but I've pantsed Xander more times than even I can count anymore!" She laughed. "Of course, you know Xander, the man likes to show off what a man he is…with what little manliness he has…" Vida snickered. "Anyways…"

"Leave." Chip replied through gritted teeth.

"Oh, I'm being nice." Vida said. "I could've dragged you in here, ya know!"

"You are a rude woman." He replied in the same manner.

"Geez, don't take your hangover out on me…" She muttered as she walked out.

Madison walked in from the garden with Xander following her. Xander raised his eyebrow to Vida.

"Hey you! I was waiting to see you!" Vida said, adding a big smile to her sentence. Xander grinned and grabbed Madison by the arms.

"Hey, Xander, that's a little tight…" Madison said. Xander tossed her into the bathroom as Vida shut the door. They then switched; Vida disarmed Madison while Xander locked the door behind her.

Xander and Vida snickered.

"Magiel, we're a good team." Xander said, grinning from ear to ear.

"So…how long before they speak to each other?" Vida asked as they walked off.

"Speak? They're going to be terrified to even look at each other!" Xander replied.

Vida sighed. "If she doesn't at least have a boyfriend, then I can't even get married…"

"And who would marry you?" Xander asked. Vida looked at Xander. "Oh Magiel, no! You know I'm a happily untaken man…well, not happily untaken as much as happily unwed."

Madison turned towards the wall opposite of the bathtub.

"We've been set up." Madison said.

"As I can see." Chip replied.

"Well, at least they tossed you into the tub. You could use a nice sobering bath." Madison said, getting up and grabbing a bottle with green liquid in it. "Here's some stuff for your hair…" She walked forwards, closing her eyes and covering them with her hand.

"Oh, this tub's deep enough…you can't see much anyways." Chip said, reaching out for the bottle.

Madison opened her eyes and realized he was right. "See? No troubles. Now, since we're stuck in here together, get me something to wash my body with."

Madison weakly smiled and grabbed him both a bar of soap and a washcloth before turning around and facing the opposite wall.

"I take it that you and Vida are really like night and day." Chip said jokingly.

"I'm sorry, but Vida doesn't always respect the privacy of myself or others. It's okay, sometimes, but she had no right doing this to us…and Xander had no right joining her in this, either."

"Well, it could have been worse." Chip said. "I mean…she could've jumped in here with me…or she could've tossed you in here…"

Madison grinned. She couldn't resist; not after last night. "Oh, so you wouldn't want me in there with you? I see…"

"Ugh, well, you…of course, you shouldn't be forced to do anything…you, you don't want to…and Vida would be an even bigger bitch if she did that to you." Madison tried to not smile and laugh; he was stammering to nervously, that his voice nearly went up and down his range scale twice.

"Yeah…" Madison said, finally cracking up.

"What…what's so funny…?" Chip asked as he began washing his hair.

"You're so modest." Madison said.

"Huh…? I'm being honest…" Chip became even more nervous.

"Be honest. I appreciate truth more than falsehoods." Madison said.

"…Something happened, didn't it…?" Chip asked, a bit afraid.

"Well, nothing really shocking…well, a little, I guess…" Madison turned around.

"We didn't…ugh…we…didn't…do…any sort of…eloping…did we?"

"We didn't make love, if that's what you're asking."

Chip sighed happily. "Well, I guess it's better than I thought…"

"You kissed me." Madison blushed.

"Oh Magiel…" Chip looked like he had just witnessed his own hanging.

"It's okay. It was nice…but I didn't think it was right."

"I'm so sorry…" Chip said, sinking deeper into the tub.

"Oh, no, don't be!" Madison said, laughing. "I didn't want anything to happen to you while you were all drunk!"

Chip sighed heavily as he tried to sink down into the tub.

"Don't be ashamed, Chip. I don't mind…"

"I was rude and brash, and…just…"

Madison smiled. "Shut up and wash up."

Down in Infershia, Necrolai roughly escorted Vankyuria into Wolzard's chambers. Wolzard stood up from his seat.

"Why do you come in here uninvited?" Wolzard growled.

"The Master requests that you hold this…rebeller…in one of your many holding cells." Necrolai replied.

"My plan is not ready! That is why I don't strike!" Vankyuria pleaded.

"Midhat and the Master will be the judge of that." Necrolai spat back as Wolzard walked over to open a cage for her.

Necrolai tossed Vankyuria into the prison cell and Wolzard locked the door. Vankyuria sighed deeply, and unconsciously split up into Nai and Mae. Mae began to cry as she lunged out to the bars.

"Please don't leave me here, Leelee!" Mae shouted. Nai tried to pull her away, but Mae had a deathgrip on the bars. "I didn't do anything wrong! I…I'm being a good girl, like you told me to be! I'm following the Master's wishes! Please don't leave me here!"

Necrolai stopped for a laugh. "You use of your stupid pet name is as mindless as your insistence on using such a stupid power that you've made…"

"If I was never alone, I would have never needed this!" Mae shouted. "I would never need to pretend I was strong if I was not so afraid and alone!"

"Maybe you didn't learn the first time I left…we are all alone in life. We live to serve only those above us…we do not exist to be friends with others, to be sisters, brothers, mothers, daughters, sons, or anything of those words humans use to describe the meaningless feelings they have with each other. In the end, there is only servitude. We all die alone in the Rapture."

Necrolai left the room as Mae sniffled and laid her head on Nai's lap. Nai twirled Mae's hair around and patting her head every so often.

"We will not be alone…even if we are still the same person…" Nai said. "We are better off like this anyways."

"You are not alone." A voice called out from the cell to their left. Nai looked over.

"Oh, hello. They…they didn't let you go…?" Nai asked.

"I'm better off staying here anyways." The voice replied.

"Tell me…why…why you stay…" Nai said.

"Quiet! All of you!" Wolzard shouted, sending shockwaves of dark magic into the cages.

After the pain subsided, Nai groaned. "La…later…" She then melded back into Vankyuria and lied down to numb the pain.

Madison smiled. "I have an idea…it's not too glamourous…but it's worth a shot."

"Go for it." Chip said, grabbing for a towel. Madison closed her eyes and focused. She opened her hand widely, palm directed at the tub. The water quaked and began to rise up around Chip, and once the entire fluid content of the tub was levitating around Chip, Madison flung it past her, sending it slamming into the bathroom door and ripping it off the hinges. Chip wrapped himself up in the towel before walking up to Madison.

"Nice job." He said. Madison handed him a bathrobe and grinned.

"We have a house policy against unmodest attire…which is why Vida wears next to nothing under her cloaks." Madison laughed.

"Can't complain." Chip joked. "Now…where the hell are my clothes…?" He said, walking around.

"I'll find you something…" Madison said, pulling into the guest room.

As she grabbed his arm, Chip leaned up against the wall and refused to budge.

"Oh dammit…" Chip muttered as he started getting short of breath. "I need to…to go back…go back to…to…Root…core…" He slowly closed his eyes as his legs gave out, dropping him onto Madison, who promptly made sure he didn't hit the floor.

"Chip…?" Madison said, struggling to not collapse under his weight. "Chip, wake up…" Her body could no longer support all of the weight, and they both fell to the floor. "Chip…?" She could feel the heat emanating off his body. "Oh no…you're sick too…"

Vida walked in with Xander from outside just moments later.

"I'll get you some tea for the headac-oh god!" Vida stopped in mid sentence, as the look on Madison's face was one of complete mortification.

"Chip's sick with whatever Nick's got…" Madison said, terrified. Xander helped lift Chip up off of Madison.

"To the couch with him!" Vida shouted as she helped Xander carry him.

Madison called Clare.

"Hey Maddie! …Is something up?"

"Chip's sick…he's got what Nick has…" Madison replied is a severely wavering tone.

"It's okay! Calm down! I'll get some stuff over there as fast as I can! Just try to keep his fever down, okay?"

"Of course."

"Be there soon!" Clare said. She ended the link and sighed, grabbing Nick's hand. "I can only hope this ends soon…we can't have two Magicians like this…" Clare got up, frowning. "Take care, Nick, while I'm gone…"

Clare walked into Chip's room and frantically searched around for anything that resembled the vials with the anti-allergen in them. She saw his bow and quiver securely tied to a bag, which was holding a few vials, so she grabbed all of it and ran downstairs.

The locket sat in the middle of the floor. Clare sighed while walking over to it. "He might need a memory of happier times…" She said, putting it into the bag before heading out.

Nick smiled softly in his sleep as he felt a pair of warm hands wrap around his left hand.

"Sylvie…" He muttered weakly.

He opened his eyes weakly and saw her sitting beside the bed in a chair.

"Sleep." She said. Nick smiled and closed his eyes once more.

Back in Briarwood, Clare swiftly arrived at Vida and Madison's house with the bag. She quickly pulled out a vial of the anti-allergen and began to direct people with how to position him. She then poured the mixture into a glass of water and stirred before pouring it down his throat.

"Please…please be better…" Madison said, grabbing his hand tightly.

Chip exhaled deeply before slowly opening his eyes. He looked around and saw the cheerful faces of everybody who was around.

"You're okay!" Clare said cheerfully.

"Welcome back." Madison said. "You scared me there for a moment."

"Sorry about that." Chip replied.

"All that matter is-" Clare's staff began to pulse as Infershia struck again. Xander looked behind his shoulder.

"Oh, don't let what that old coot said scare you, Xander." Vida said, punching him in the shoulder.

"Let's get to it." Clare replied.

"I'll stay here for a moment." Madison said.

"What about you, Chip? Feeling up to it?" Clare asked.

"No." Chip replied.

"Then it's just the three of us." Vida replied. "Let's kick it!" Vida, Xander, and Clare all ran out to find the Infershian threat.

As they flew off, Clare sighed.

"What's wrong?" Xander asked.

"Something's wrong with Chip…" Clare said. "He never backs down from a fight."

"Maybe he's still not completely healthy." Vida replied.

"Still." Clare replied.

Back down in Infershia, Vankyuria stirred and woke up to find that the room was empty. She looked to her left. "Are you okay, over there…?" She called out.

"I've been waiting for you to wake." The voice called out.

"It takes longer for me to heal when that sort of thing happens…" Vankyuria replied as she sat up.

"I see." The voice replied. After a moment of silence, the voice spoke up once more. "Are you going to escape…?"

"Will you come with me?" Vankyuria replied.

"My job is not done." The voice replied.

"Then I will not go." Vankyuria replied.

"If you're free to come and go, then go. You know, only torture and suffering will come to you now."

"I know…" Vankyuria sighed, looking down.

"Out there…you will find that you are not alone in suffering, I promise you."

A lone tear ran down Vankyuria's face. The prisoner in the cage shuffled a bit, then slid over a tattered grey cloth. "Here, take this." Vankyuria sniffled and took the cloth. It was long and thin, like a scarf, belt, or tie.

"How nice of you…" Vankyuria said, drying her eyes with it.

"I hope you get out of here soon…as long as Necrolai is here, I doubt you will be safe…"

Vankyuria sniffled and wiped her eyes again before tying the cloth around her neck, tossing the two leftover flaps back over her shoulders.

On the surface, Clare, Xander, and Vida arrived at the edge of town, where Necrolai and a crew of Hideacs were setting buildings on fire in a militaryeqsue fashion.

"Jii Majika! Icy Wind!" Clare froze the fire in place.

"Jii Majika! Entangling Vines!" Xander summoned a large patch of vines to help keep the crumbling structures from crashing to the ground.

"Everybody! Get the hell out of here!" Vida shouted into the houses as she zipped by.

Villagers began retreating towards the center of town as the trio landed in front of the army.

"Oh look, it's those meddling Magicians." Necrolai said. "Get them!" A well-organized platoon of Hideacs charged forwards.

"I got this one. Jii Maji Majika! Ice Flurry!" Clare fired off several ice spears into the crowd. Surprisingly, few were hit, as they merely began to charge around the spears. "Maybe I don't have this one!"

"Jii Makija! Tornado Blast!" Vida fired off a blast on the Hideac unit's flank, which only seemed to slow them down a bit. "Jii Majika! Gravel Spike!" Xander's attack only impeded them as well.

"What, did we win on a fluke or what?" Vida shouted as her and Xander physically began to defend Clare.

"This is unnerving…" Xander replied.

Down in Infershia's dungeon, Nai and Mae grinned at each other, the scarf sitting around Mae's neck.

"Are you ready, Nai-chan?" Mae said softly as she watched Wolzard walk down the row.

"Ready, Mae-chan." She said, grinning.

"Take care…friend." Mae said with a smile, looking to her jail mate.

"And you as well." The voice replied, waiting for the girls to begin.

Mae tossed out several round metal balls painted to look like little bats at Wolzard as he walked by. Once they formed a circle around him, they started to emit flashes of light and smoke, along with a series of high-pitched 'laughs'. Wolzard looked around for a moment, slightly confused. Once they stopped was when he saw that the two were no longer imprisoned.

He turned around. "Zazzado!" The shield opened and fired off two Dark Wolves that homed in on the two as they ran for the exit. They panicked and shadow strafed, causing the Dark Wolves to crash into the wall in front of them. "Where did they go…?" He muttered.

His question was answered as a pair of shoes connected with the back of his helmet; Nai and Mae and strafed behind and slightly above, him, giving them the ability to dropkick him.

He dropped to the ground as Nai and Mae landed on top of him. They then backflipped twice to give themselves distance from him. They waited to see if he was conscious, only to be rewarded with a wordless attack from his shield. The blast of dark magic knocked them both back.

"Nobody escapes from my dungeon cells…congratulations." Wolzard said viciously. "Although, your only reward will be destruction, one you won't be able to pull yourself back together from."

Mae gulped, and the two quickly pulled together to form Vankyuria.

"I did not want to do this, old friend, but I must." She reached behind her and apparated her parasol. She swung the tip towards the ground, and the tip turned into a blade. She then charged at Wolzard.

She shadow strafed as she got within centimeters of his sword's reach. "You can't trick me with the same trick twice, vampire!" He shouted as he turned around. However, she was not there. A blade was then thrust into the back of his shoulder, followed by a high heel to the back of the head that forcefully removed him from the blade.

"Yes I can!" Vankyuria shouted happily.

She then spun around and slammed the back of her heel into his side, knocking him down to his knee. She stopped spinning as she swung the parasol's blade around, stopping it only a few millimeters from Wolzard's neck. "I will leave you like this, defeated and at my mercy. I will show you mercy, because I am better than you and I show my supposed friends respect. You were once my friend; consider this my last token of friendship."

"We will meet again, and I will destroy you for your treachery." Wolzard replied.

"I doubt it." She turned the parasol around and cracked him upside the head with the blunt end, knocking him out. "Goodbye."

Back in Briarwood, Madison walked into the living room with a tea tray and found Chip outside with his bow and quiver.

"I hope you're not shooting any of my trees!" Madison said as she walked up to the open window. He didn't respond. "Come inside, it's tea time!" Chip seemed to not even hear him. Madison sighed angrily. "Charlie Thorn, get in this house right now or I'll make it rain buckets!" She threatened, grabbing her wand and pointing it out towards the sky. He dropped his bow mid shot, the arrow only went a few inches before both the bow and arrow hit the ground. Chip looked morbidly stunned. He walked inside silently, his distant gaze locked onto the ground.

"…Chip…?" Madison said. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked up. Madison looked at him for a moment, awestruck as his sudden lack of emotion. "…Is…something wrong?"

"…I keep missing." He said as he began walking towards the couch. He tossed himself onto it face-first, then tried to pull up a hood that wasn't there. He then began looking for a hood with his hands, but he still couldn't find one. He finally realized that bathrobes didn't come with hoods. "…Oh bugger."

"You want some tea?" She asked, pouring him a cup.

"No…" He muttered sadly. Madison frowned as she just made the cup for herself and sat down in front of the coffee table. She took a few sips, thinking of how uneasy the silence was. She sighed after a few moments of complete reticence before she cracked.

"Things…happen. Things…they fall apart…" Madison began to speak. Chip looked up.

"Madison…?" He said softly.

"Sometimes you…you can't put them back together…" Madison sat her teacup down and sighed. Chip slowly sat up and Madison began to think of what else to say.

"Are…are you okay, Maddie?" Chip asked, worried. He felt like he was the only one who should be depressed at the moment, and Madison stealing it from him felt almost disturbing.

"I'm sorry. It's just…it's just that things take time…they take time to be fixed, or at least shadows of themselves. It's not like we can sit here having tea and-"

"I know." Chip replied.

"Are we still the people we were yesterday? You and I, is that any different?" Chip suddenly realized that she wasn't talking about his problems. "Are we ever going to fit back together the way we used to…? Are we now just…two different puzzles? Do we need to build things back up?"

"I'm not sure."

"This is something important to me. This is something important for us. We can't be a team if there isn't any repair to what happened. We can't pretend that last night didn't happen. We can't pretend the last hour didn't happen. We can't-"

"You can't." He replied.

"So you're fine knowing that there's this awkward wave between us?"

Chip looked down. "…No, I'm not. We have to move on, regardless."

"I can't. I'm sick of you pretending like there aren't other people around you." Madison said, her eyes beginning to glaze over. "I'm sick of you just…pretending like you're the only person who has problems. I'm sick of you forgetting that we are here to help and support you. I'm sick of you pretending you don't care about me like you do!"

Chip looked down, trying to avoid her gaze. He grabbed a teacup and Madison tightly gripped his wrist.

"Aren't you listening to me?" Madison said, sounding hurt.

"I just want some-"

"Like hell you do." Madison said, letting go of his wrist and standing up. Chip looked up at her. "I had to listen to you rave like a love-crazed lunatic last night about how you thought you didn't deserve me, and it was the most pathetic thing I've ever seen in my life!"

"I was completely intoxicated. I don't even remember what you're talking about." Chip said, standing up.

"Are you saying that you lie when you're drunk?"

"No, I'm saying that whatever I said, I don't remember it. Now, could you stop yelling at me for things I'm not wholly responsible for?"

"Right, not wholly responsible, but still responsible."

"What do you want me to say? You want me to say that I'm sorry for kissing you? Fine, I'm sorry." Chip said, not sounding at all sincere.

"No, I want you to tell me why I never see any sort of emotion from you unless you're a drink away from a coma."

"Because not everybody cares like you do. Not everybody is crazy and wild like your sister. Not everybody tries to elope with every member of the opposite sex like Xander. Not everybody is happy and cheery like Clare."

"Well then, try, dammit!" Madison said. "I've seen you smile, and it's so wonderful. I've heard you laugh, and it's like a lovely song. And you're not a bad kisser to boot." Madison grinned.

"Look, I am who I am." Chip replied. "I'm sorry I'm not happy-go-lucky; life just hasn't worked out like that for me." He began walking away towards Vida's room. "Now if I'm right, she hid my clothes in her room."

Madison watched him walk back until she couldn't contain herself. "Why me?" She said loudly.

Chip stopped and turned around. "Huh?"

"Why…why do you love me when you clearly don't show it?"

Chip smiled as he looked down and turned around. "Because the first time I saw you…you were so terrified, yet so determined to hold on when you clearly couldn't win. I admired that. You won me over when you did nothing but show me hospitality…I appreciate it." He looked up and gave a weak look of appreciation, then turned back around and walked into Vida's room.

Madison's wand glowed. "Maddie, Chip!" Clare shouted. "We need you two!"

"We're coming." Madison replied. "Chip! They need our assistance!"

Chip sighed. "I'll catch up with you once I get my clothes." He shouted back.

"But how am I…?" Madison sighed. "I'll be there soon."

She sighed and transformed as she went into her backyard. She looked over at the target board Chip had crudely constructed; not a shot hit the center ring, most didn't even hit the ring outside it. "Maybe I shouldn't have yelled…" Madison sighed. "I guess everybody has their sudden moments…" She then looked out the try and find the attack site, but since she lived in the lower part of Briarwood, she couldn't see a thing. She growled in frustration. "Ya know, I hate being short!" She said, crossing her arms in anger. "If only I lived higher up…" She stopped mid-sentence and turned her head over to the broomshed. "…NO! No…" She whimpered. She stared just a few seconds longer.

"_We have to move on, regardless…"_

Madison sighed and put her hand to her cheek. "But…but…" She sighed, dropping her arms to her sides and looking at the ground. "I wish I didn't feel like such a hypocrite."

Moments later, Maddie was high above the ground, clinging for dear life to Chip's broom. "I….won't….fall…Madison Jane Rocca, cut it out…" She pulled herself off the broom itself slowly and into its seat. "There…we…go…" She saw an explosion erupt from afar. "They're out there, body, so let's….get there fast! The faster I go, the less time I have to spend on this broom!" Her hands shook as she tightly gripped the handlebars. "Movrum!" The broom shot off into the distance. Madison's screams could be heard as she streaked across the sky.

Inside Vida's room, Chip sighed as he finished dressing. Vida had tried to hide his clothes under her bed, as he thought she did. He took his wand out of his cloak pocket and held it over his head. "Maagi Magi Majiiro!" Not even a park of light shone anywhere in the moments that passed. "Maagi Magi Majiiro!" Once again, nothing. He collapsed to the floor. "I hope she left without me…" He said, tossing his wand out of the room into the hallway. "What the hell did I do wrong…?"

"Maybe I could shine some light on this problem." A voice said from Chip's left. He looked up and over to see Taliesin standing next to him. He jumped in surprise.

"How did you-"

"Even a master of light can hide in shadow."

"…How long have you been here?"

"Well, I've been in the living room having a cup of tea, I just got in here because I heard you complaining." Taliesin grinned. "That, and an old friend said that a good friend of mine was having a rough time."

"Nothing's wrong here…" Chip said, exhaling roughly as he stood up.

"Ah, denial; it's no longer just a river in Egypt." Taliesin joked.

Chip glared. "And what do you think you can help me with?"

"Well, plenty of things." Taliesin said. "Follow me." He walked out of the room, picking up Chip's wand as he led Chip outside. He climbed up the ladder on the broomshed and took a seat on the peak of the roof. Chip did the same.

"So…what do you have to say to me?" Chip said.

"She's right, you know." Taliesin said. Chip sighed. "No, hear me out." Chip looked downwards, ready to listen intently. "You can't pretend that there aren't other people around you; people who matter to you. You're a human being; a person who has always held those around him close, and now there's nobody. Maybe Tsubasa, and Clare to an extent…but you have nobody close."

"Everybody I care about and hold close to me dies or tries to kill me." Chip replied coldly.

"Yeah, I know, but you can't just say 'To hell with you and all your friends' because you're afraid that the second you stop, everybody's going to die."

Chip looked over at him. "Tell me how this is going to help me with my magic, because it's getting tiresome."

"You've become nihilistic about the world around you." Taliesin said curtly. "You don't trust your friends, you don't believe in yourself or your feelings towards other people, and you sure as hell can't even begin to believe in the truth about anything that's been happening."

"Because I want to stop crying and move on with my life."

"You can't move on if you're unwilling to accept the truth about life; you survived a horrific accident because you weren't supposed to die, your parents and Udonna are dead, and Icaryia used you, abused you, and she will never change no matter how hard you try."

"Shut up!" Chip shouted, his face turning red.

"See? With this kind of attitude, the other Magicians are going to have to look for a new Yellow Magician."

"It will be okay…I will fix things myself…" Chip said, curling up in a ball as he began to cry.

"By what? Hitting Icaryia in the head with a rock? If you can't believe the truth, then how can you believe in magic; something that, to most people, is a fallacy? That's why humans, for the most part, don't manifest magical abilities. They choose to forget things, to deny them any belief…and that is what you're doing now. If you don't believe in the truth that there is no happy ending, then you will never be able to change it."

Chip looked up. "…What?"

Taliesin grinned. "If there is no visible hope, then it's up to people to make it appear." He laughed. "Chance is what you make of it…we are to write our own stories, even if they are already set in stone."

Chip let a few tears drop down before he uncurled and looked up at the dark clouds above. "Like if there is a storm…there is always a blue sky behind it…"

"There you go." Taliesin said, nodding.

"And…even if the storm lasts the whole month and ten days beyond it, there will be a beautiful blue sky waiting for us…right?" Chip looked over to find himself alone. He sighed deeply, then wiped his eyes. "…right."

Madison arrived at the fight and roughly landed the broom. She climbed off, shaking from head to toe. She spotted Clare, Xander, and Vida curled up against the side of a building.

"I'm coming!" Madison shouted, swinging her trident as she ran up to them. "Jii Magi Majika! Trident Wave!" She slammed the prongs of her trident into the ground, and a wave of water erupted from the ground, smashing into several of the Hideacs that were about to flank the Magician trio.

"Nice shot!" Vida said, giving her a thumb's up. Madison's Mermaid crystal began to glow a bright blue.

"Oh!" Clare said. Beams of white light began to shine down from her Snow crystal, and as she held it towards the ground, mystic symbols began to appear. "Let's see…Jii Magi Jiruma Majika…Maddie, it looks like you've got a new spell."

"I'll try it out." Madison said. She looked out to see Necrolai and the rest of her army marching towards their position. "Well, if there was ever a time where I could use a new spell…"

"Go for it…we'll back ya up." Xander said. Madison ran out, catching Necrolai's attention.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the mousy little Blue Magician…" Necrolai taunted. "This should be quick, Hideacs…kill her!"

"Jii Majika! Entangling Vines!" Xander shouted, causing vines to shoot up from the ground and firmly clamp onto the Hideacs that were charging. "Go for it, Maddie!"

"You bet!" Madison nodded. Madison began to spin her trident like a baton. "Jii Magi Jiruma Majika!" She then stopped spinning the trident as the crystal pointed at the sky. "Monsoon Blitz!" A blue light shot up from Madison's wand that shined up into the stratosphere.

Up in Magitopia, Volgel noticed the blue beam of light piercing the skyline. "Hey, Spragel, get your skirt-wearing flippers over here!" He shouted.

"It's not a skirt!" Spragel shouted defensively as he ran out to the balcony of his room. "It's a jet propulsion system, like what those brooms have!"

"Yeah, whatever. It's go time!" Volgel shouted, excited as he prepared his armaments. Spragel grabbed his trident.

"Magic Trident, make my monster raincloud grow!" He shouted, aiming at a dark cloud over the battlefield. He could feel Volgel giving him an awkward look, even though his face was hidden by his visor. "Ha, I always wanted to say that."

"You're such a dork." Volgel said as he prepared a volley of arrows for firing. "On your command."

"Wait for it." Spragel said, summoning a massive rainstorm.

On the battlefield, the rain began to soak the battlefield, soaking the clothes of everybody besides the Magicians.

"Whoa, it's coming down in buckets!" Vida said.

"I wonder how this's gonna end…" Clare said.

"I just hope we don't drown…" Xander said. "I'd hate to die because of Maddie…" Vida punched him in the arm. "Ow! What?"

"You know what!" Vida scolded, preparing to punch him again.

"Wha…oh! No! I didn't mean anything towards you!" Xander said, flinching.

"Good." Vida said, dropping her attack.

Up in Magitopia, Spragel smiled. "Let loose the bolts of war!" He said with a deep Scottish accent.

"Oh cut it out." Volgel said, firing off his arrows. Due to there being so many arrows, one arrow flew off target. "Ah dammit." Volgel griped.

Several bolts of lightning shot down from the sky, striking the Hideacs and traveling through them. If it weren't for Necrolai's hasty retreat only a second before she would've joined her minions in death. The Hideacs were toasted before they stopped shaking and collapsed to the floor.

Back in town, Chip watched at the monsoon raged across the border of the town. "What a mess it is out there…" Chip commented. Suddenly, lightning struck down in the garden, a few yards away from the doors. Chip panicked and fell backwards, landing next to his bag. He looked down and saw the locket, then began to cry.

"Oh look what you did, Vollie. You made the poor Magician cry!" Spragel said, punching Volgel in the arm.

"He saw the locket…" Volgel replied stoically.

"Oh…" Spragel sighed. "Poor guy…"

"I tried to help…he's just stubborn and inconsolable." Volgel replied.

"Ah…" Spragel replied. Volgel smiled.

"Drop the rain." Volgel said.

"You got it, bro." Spragel said in a deep voice. Volgel sighed.

Volgel grabbed a golden arrow from his quiver. "I can only hope this works…" He aimed, then fired.

Chip looked up as the rain stopped pouring. The sun began to peak out from the clouds and, for a brief moment, a rainbow streaked across the clouds. Chip sniffled and stood up, grabbing the locket. "What a beautiful view…what a blue sky…" He wiped his eyes and walked outside.

Volgel smiled a half smile, sending a wink over to Spragel. "Sungel knew I'd need that arrow someday…"

Chip tied the locket around his wrist and began to pull the arrows out of his target, mildly cursing each of the arrows as he did. As he pulled out the last arrow, a new arrow flew from practically out of the sky and hit the bull's-eye. There was a note attached, so Chip took it off and began to read it.

_So, do you believe? You know she's out there, waiting for you. Will you pursue her, or will you just try to forget, letting time stand still between you two? I'll be watching._

Chip grinned and crumpled the note. "Taliesin, you never give up." He pulled out the arrow, then walked back to his bow.

He looked down at the locket, then smiled. He unwrapped it from around his wrist and looked down at it, staring at the fractured picture. He smiled as he tossed it into the air.

"I do believe in my friends. I believe in how strong they are without me." He fired an arrow which drove into the chain of the locket and attached it to the target board.

"I believe in Madison, and I believe in her adoration. I believe in my own cowardice about the situation…but I believe I will one day be truthful…" He fired another arrow into the chain of the locket, securing the locket's position directly over the center of the bull's-eye. He prepared his shot, and his gauntlet glowed brightly as it charged up.

"I believe that I will be the end of the woman who stole my life…even though it burns intensely. I believe that I have to be…because it's her fault for all of this. It's her fault for everything, and I wouldn't live with myself knowing I didn't finish what she started." He exhaled deeply, and the gauntlet charged the arrow with a bolt of lightning a millisecond before it was launched out and smashed into the locket, shattering what was left of it and incinerating the picture.

Chip sighed deeply and began to walk inside. He looked at his bag, and his wand was sticking out of the top with a note and a box attached. He walked in and read the note.

_Can you believe I forgot I still had this with me? Stupid me. Well, it wasn't like you were putting it to any good use._

Chip scowled, then continued reading.

_Well, just to let you know that I heard you, I'm sending this back with a gift, just in case you run into that heretic. Give her one for me and Wingel, will ya?_

Chip opened up the box and smiled. "You bet I will…" He grinned.


	21. Interlude: How To End A Sibling Rivalry

Many hours later out in the forest, Vankyuria sat by herself, playing with a leaf, tearing it apart with her claws.

"Kaerarenai mono wo ukeireru chikara… soshite ukeirerarenai mono wo… kaeru chikara wo choudai yo…" She softly and slowly sang to herself as she peeled apart the leaf. An explosion erupted underneath her, forcing her to shadow strafe out of the tree. She looked down; a rain-soaked Necrolai was glaring at her.

"What are you doing out here?" She shouted with malice in her tone.

"Go away!" Vankyuria tossed her screeching bat bombs down at Necrolai, which seemed to have no effect on her. Vankyuria shot off and flew towards Briarwood.

"You can't cower behind him forever!" Necrolai shouted as she began to give chase.

The two flew around in circles around the treetops; Necrolai was not easily shaken, Vankyuria came to find out. The moon was full in the early morning sky, and Vankyuria knew that this would not be an easy escape.

Chip rushed out into the forest, grinning. He hand his wand tightly in hand, illuminating the ground in front of him. He stopped for a moment and looked around.

"I know you're here!" He shouted. "Your heresy freezes the very air around us!"

A crossbow bolt zoomed past his head, and he turned to face the direction from which it came. Icaryia walked over to where he had once been facing. She wore Vankyuria's outfit, and hadn't bothered repairing the damage Vida and Madison had done to it. Deep cuts, slashes, and blood covered her body, even her hair, which was not tied into a bun.

"So…you came to visit me, dear brother…" She said sadistically. "Come to give me a kiss?" She bared her fangs.

"That's something I'm glad to decline." He replied, cringing.

She changed her bow back into a wand and sneered. "Pity, now I have to kill you." She conjured up several dark bolts; Chip saw them coming. Having no time left to react to the swift bolts, he put his skills to use and began to backflip back down the path. After a few, he realized that the bolts were getting closer. He grabbed his wand and pointed the wand behind him. "Maagi Magi Majiiro!" The Magic Circle, shining a bright yellow, appeared behind him, and he flew through it, instantly transforming. He hit the ground and finished his set of backflips off with a quick tumble and steadied himself, only to be rewarded with a dark bolt to the face.

He spun around as the dark bolt drove itself into his helmet, destroying a chunk of the left side of his helmet and spitting sparks into Chip's face. He screamed in pain as he landed on the ground. The dark bolt finally dissipated as Icaryia walked up to Chip and viciously yanked on the damaged part of his helmet. She then began tearing at it, ripping apart his face and eventually tearing the whole thing off with little protesting. Her nails tore long lines up his face as she gave the final yank on the helmet. The sparks from his helmet had burned his face up around his eyes and temple; Chip was lucky his had closed his eyes on impact, or he might've lost to use of the left one.

"Well, this's pretty pathetic so far…" Icaryia said. "Not so tough without your stupid friends, are ya?"

"You got lucky…" He spit, sitting his MagiStaff Crossbow against the dividing line in her stomach, and firing a strong bolt into her gut. She flew back into the trees, giving Chip the precious moments he needed to recover. He stood up and blinked his left eye a few times to make sure everything was fine. Blood trickled from the claw wounds, but he ignored it for the moment. He fired a few more shots into the woods blindly, unsure of where she had landed. He didn't even recall hearing her hit the ground. He felt a sharp pain in his side; Icaryia had driven a blade into his left side after shadow strafing behind him.

"I get lucky a lot." Icaryia said as Chip stifled a cry of pain, slowly dropping him to the ground.

Up above, Vankyuria zipped through the air, dodging beams of dark magic energy being fired at her by Necrolai. "Are you so desperate to betray the Master that you will hide with the Magicians…?"

"I am only hiding from you because you've become a maniac!" Vankyuria shouted. "I can't believe I ever missed you!"

"Oh dear sister…" Necrolai said. "Your flattery will get you nowhere…"

Down in the forest, Chip cringed as Icaryia removed the blade from his side. "Have you lost enough blood yet? Are you ready to give…?" Chip gasped for air as he grabbed his side. "Maybe they should have made you a Red Magician instead…your uniform would've been perfect for tonight…" She cackled. He swung his left arm back at her, which she caught with both hands. "Oh, a snack!" She shouted.

He grinned. "Eat this!" He pulled her forward and around as he stood up; with his right hand, he securely clamped down on her wrists as he slid his left hand out of his glove, then he clamped his left hand down on her wrists for a firmer grip. He gave a good 360-degree turn and tossed her forwards; he then grabbed his crossbow and fired several shots at her, four of those hits drawing blood and spraying it in arcs.

She groaned in pain as she got up. "You little punk," She said, regaining her footing. "you'll be lucky if all you've got is an apoplexy when I'm done with you..."

"You'll be lucky if there's anything left of you when I'm done." Chip shot back.

"I'm gonna hit you so hard, that feathered abomination'll feel it!" He began to hover off the ground slightly and began to thrust forwards, imitating Vida's special move.

Chip glared and changed his crossbow back into its wand mode, then put it in the holster that was attached to his belt. He then charged at Icaryia, and once she got close enough, he leaped into the air and flew straight over her head. Once he had gotten behind her, he kicked back, connecting with the direct middle of her skull, knocking her off balance and sending her into a headfirst dive into the ground. He landed on his feet and spun around mid-stop; he now faced Icaryia, who was attempting to get up. He pulled the wand out of its sheath and pointed the Garuda crystal towards the sky. "Jii Magi Jiruma Majika! Lightning Corona!" The Garuda crystal shot a yellow light straight up into the sky.

The beam of light woke Volgel up from his less-than-attentive guard duty. "Oh! Hey Charlie!" He grinned and grabbed his bow and a few arrows. "I'll play your game, you rogue." He snickered as he took out a dagger and trimmed the feathers on the back all on one side. "Time to put a little spin on things." He joked as he strung the arrows and aimed. "May my aim be true…as it always is." He then fired the shot.

Up in the treetops, the Lightning Corona shot downward, and Vankyuria saw it coming quick enough to split into Nai and Mae to fly around it. Necrolai, however, smashed into the outer wall of it. The two laughed as they reformed Vankyuria and flew off.

Down on the forest floor, the lightning arrows began to spiral downwards until they crashed down around Icaryia. The center of the lightning column suddenly became filled with excess lightning, which surged through Icaryia and caused her to writhe and shriek in agony.

"How does it feel…?" Chip asked. "How does it feel to know that this is me paying you back…? How you feel now is how I've felt for the longest time on the inside…just screaming, wishing it would end…" Chip smiled. "I just wanted to share the feeling so that you'd know in death how much torment you've left me with…aren't I nice for sharing…?" The arrows finished raining down as soon as Chip dropped his wand to his side, and Icaryia twitched and curled into a ball.

It was early dawn now, and the sun was taking its time getting over the horizon. Vankyuria assumed that she was safe, since she had never remembered Necrolai to be up at dawn. She freely flew across a strip of grass, where a lone Briarwood denizen was walking, their hat tip flopped slightly to the side. She flew down to a few tree branches and sat, facing the sun, awaiting the sunrise. She looked back into the forest, hoping to see nothing, and her hope came true. No Necrolai, no dark magic blasts or bombs, nothing at all. She sighed happily and laid her head against the tree trunk.

"Douza Megaro." Vankyuria didn't have time the react to Necrolai's paralysis spell which pressed her against the tree. "Did you miss me, little Yuri?" Necrolai asked.

"Like I miss a hole in the head." Vankyuria snapped back as she tried to wrestle free.

"Lovely." Necrolai said sincerely. She sat down next to Vankyuria and smiled as she looked up at the rising sun. "Just like your little home, isn't it? The home of the Rising Sun, I believe? Why did you ever leave? You were doing so much better there; your work for the Master was almost an art form there…"

"Killing humans is a waste of blood." Vankyuria replied. "Why smash a bottle of wine to get what's inside when you can easily pop a cork and save the rest of later?"

"See, this is what makes you pitiful." Necrolai said, looking Vankyuria straight in the eyes. "You think too much. You think too much about the victim, and not enough about your needs or the needs of those above you. You don't care, you take only what you want." Necrolai sighed. "It was good, having you for a queen. You had much promise. I suppose that we can watch the sun rise on a new era, since I know that sunrises are one of your stupid indulgences."

"The sun is glorious…I feel pity for my servants who are cursed to never see it." Vankyuria replied.

"Pitiful." Necrolai replied, crossing her arms and legs.

Icaryia slowly got up and noticed that what was left of Chip's helmet was in reach. She slowly got up and approached it, hiding her intentions. Chip put up his guard, waiting for Icaryia to make her move. With the grace of a swan she quickly slid her left foot into the hole, letting that pointed end of her shoe clamp on to the inside of the helmet. She than swung her leg around like a shotputter, flinging the helmet at Chip and hitting the right side of his face with it. Chip didn't have time to react, and he hit the ground and barrel rolled a bit. He crouched down as Icaryia charged him, and once she got close, he pointed his wand at her. "Jii Majika!"

The crystal shined brightly stunning Icaryia and driving her back. He reached down to his belt and popped the large Magic Circle emblem belt buckle open, revealing an empty chamber. He let the small yellow crystal fall out into his palm. "Engorgia." Chip said, and the crystal grew to its original size.

It was triangle shaped, with several grooves cut into it, making it look somewhat like a trident's top. He closed the belt buckle as Icaryia slowly stood up. "One good turn deserves another, grandma always said." Chip said, getting to his feet and spinning, holding the crystal by one tip. Icaryia stood up quick enough to get the point of his statement…literally.

Chip had tossed the crystal like a shuriken, and it dived straight into Icaryia's jugular. She began to claw at her neck as she choked and dropped to her knees.

"Sometimes the best gifts come unexpectedly." Chip said with a smile as he walked over to her and kneeled next to her. She could hardly move, let alone harm him. "Remember you told me about this…?" Chip said softly, touching the crystal softly and smiling.

"The Dawn Crystal…? How it was so powerful, that it could crush any weakened vampire, even the Queen herself? How it drained the life from the vampire until the light from the sun touched it…?" Chip sighed, still keeping a somewhat happy smile on his face. "You taught me a lot, both good and bad…but the most important thing you taught me was that miracles happen if you believe. You came back, and I never gave up hope that you were still alive…even if it wasn't the way I had hoped." Chip looked down, letting his eyes fill up with tears. "It's so funny…I don't feel bitter, I don't feel vengeful…I don't even feel like celebrating…I feel sad. Sad that it had to end like this…I'm going to miss you…but I have my friends…and they'll help me move on from this…you always told me that I needed friends…" He looked up. "You were right. Thank you." He stood up and watched as the sun began to peek out through the leaves.

"I see…the light…" Icaryia said, looking up. "It's orange…like your hair…your hair has always shined like the sun…you always…shine…" Her breath hitched as the sunlight hit the Dawn Crystal, illuminating her entire body, and within moments, turning it to dust. The Dawn Crystal fell down into the pile of dust, and Chip just stared, observing a moment of silence.

Necrolai smiled as the sun peaked in the sky. "Well, Yuri, your time's up."

"You can't kill me forever. I'll be back by tomorrow." Vankyuria taunted.

"I don't intend to kill you, that's the thing. I'm just going to make you…..go away."

Vankyuria gasped as Necrolai floated into the air. "Douza Meru Mejira!" She pointed a finger at Vankyuria's chest, drawing forth a string of black from the entangled queen.

Vankyuria cried out in pain as the thread pulled away from her, causing tears to stream down her face. She felt like the world around her was forcing her body constantly backwards, the landscape growing grayer and grayer as it continued.

"This will not be…the end of me…" Vankyuria weakly said.

"I assure you that there won't be enough left once I'm done…" She continued to draw the black thread to herself. "I'll put your skills to better use, you contemptible, feeble waste of existence." She muttered. "There is no room for weakness in Infershia."

She stopped drawing the thread, and Vankyuria screamed as her body began to fade. "Oh, sleep, you little brat." She released Vankyuria from the paralysis and forcibly shoved her from the tree, leaving her to black out as she hit the ground. The tree branches swayed particularly roughly for a windless day, so Necrolai abandoned the trees and flew upwards the teleport. She stared down at the ground and spotted a lone Briarwood denizen, staring upwards, a glare shooting up from beneath the large hat brim. Necrolai grinned as she returned to Infershia.


	22. Shining As The Sun

_Inside a large room sat a teary-eyed young woman, sitting in front of a large mirror framed in jade. _

"_Where are you…?" She spoke. "There's nobody here but me…"_

"_Your Highness…?" A young man poked his head in the room's door._

"_Go away!" The young woman shouted, sniffling and wiping her eyes on her long sleeve, forever staining the silk with her salty tears. Her long hair, which had been bound in coils, bounced around as she cried. _

"_They always leave…always leave…" She said to the mirror. "I'm surprised you haven't left."_

"_There is no leaving you." The mirror reflection replied back in a voice that sounded like a reverberating version of the girl's._

_The young woman lied her head down on her arms. "I'm pitiful…I make them leave, always leave…I'm alone…always alone…"_

"_Mistress…?" A woman dressed in servant's clothes walked in._

_The girl jumped up. "What did I tell you?" She screamed in a voice that was two octaves lower than her natural tone. "I told you all to leave!"_

"_Yes, Queen…" The servant quickly ran out of the room. The girl sat back down and continued to cry._

"_They do not understand your pain, Mae-Mae…" The mirror image said._

"_I alone know…" The girl replied._

"_Maybe you should hang blue ribbons in your hair tonight…" The reflection said._

"_And a pink one…"_

"_No…no…just blue…" The reflection said._

"_Blue…blue…why not green?"_

"_What wealth will bring you happiness, when you have enough as it is?" The reflection said._

"_Maybe I can buy something comforting…maybe a delicious meal of calamari and kappamaki and maguro…"_

"_Now now…" The reflection said, standing up._

"_My Leelee is gone! What else do I have besides you? I can't hug you, and you can't tuck me into bed and make me feel better!" The girl stood up, crying._

"_Eating yourself senseless isn't good." The reflection said._

"_I want my Leelee! I want to be comforted! I want-"_

"_Stop!" The reflection shouted. "Stop it, my Mae-Mae…you've fallen into despair…do not give up hope…we will never be alone…"_

"…_We…?"_

"_Am I not but your reflection? How you feel is how I feel, your sadness is my sadness, your successes are mine as well…"_

"_Do you breathe…?" The girl asked, touching the mirror. "Are you…inside…?"_

"_For once…I don't wish to be…"_

"_Nai-Nai…neither do I…" The girl smiled. "We will both be here, I promise…"_

Vankyuria slowly opened her eyes, her body shaking internally. She felt anemic and starved, her arms shook in shock. The room around her was grey marble, smooth and calming. She was in bed, wrapped up in warm black linen sheets, the windows open and the morning sun shining through. She sat up and took in her surroundings.

Her grey scarf sat on the room's door handle, and next to the doorframe stood a full-length mirror, and next to that stood a large mahogany armoire with a door open, revealing an array of skirts, dresses, and robes. A door to her own private bathroom sat on the other side of the room; a bookcase sat on one side of the doorframe, an armchair on the other. A nightstand with a crystal ball that was currently not glowing sat next to the bed, and a pair of slippers sat next to the nightstand.

She slowly slid out of bed, trying to not push herself. She put the slippers on as she stood up, taking the time to wiggles her toes around the soft and faux furry interior. She smiled and decided to look at the other things there were to wear. She passed the mirror and jumped; she looked back and saw someone standing in her place.

The woman had pin straight jet black hair that stretched halfway down her back, which seemed to contrast to her porcelain-like pale skin. Her eyes were a shiny brown, and her lips a dull rose. She stood wearing a long maroon bathrobe with matching slippers, and the woman looked entirely confused.

Vankyuria approached the mirror, then gently poked it with a shortly cut nail. The reflection poked back.

"Who are you?" Vankyuria asked the mirror in her somewhat deep tone; the reflection seemed to mimic her perfectly. "…Nai-Nai…?" She said, poking the face in the mirror. The only response she got was what she had originally said. "Don't you speak?" The reflection knew only how to mimic, as a reflection normally knew. "Am I…" Vankyuria began to tear up, as did the reflection. Vankyuria dropped to her knees and began to cry, her reflection following her to lament its meaningless existence as well.

Vankyuria tried to will herself apart into Nai and Mae, but it didn't seem to work, and she only succeeded in giving herself a headache. She had only managed to make herself cry harder.

The door beside the mirror slowly opened and caught Vankyuria's attention. She looked up, and her heart nearly jumped a beat or so, tossing her into a panic and making her feel like fleeing the room.

"Hey, hey now…I'm not here to do anything to ya…" Xander meekly said, trying not to startle Vankuria as he completely walked in. He crouched down to her level. "Are you okay? I was walking into the room across the hall and I heard you crying…"

"Go away!" Vankyuria shouted as she started kicking at him.

"Hey, you may not want to be kicking at me while you're just in that." Xander said, taking a step back.

"Why are you here?" She shouted.

"Ugh, this is my house, that's why." Xander replied, answering as if it were a stupid question to ask.

"Why am I wearing this?" She asked, trying to guard herself.

"Well, when I found you, you were conked out, bare naked, with leaves scattered around you. Well, I can't say bare naked, you had that scarf on." Xander said, pointing to the grey scarf. "It's an uncommonly chilly morning, so I wrapped you up in my cloak and brought you back home to warm up. I'm not gonna leave some naked woman lying around underneath a tree so some pissant can have his jollies with her…although many believe I'd be the pissant to do that…" Xander sighed dejectedly, then looked down. "Are you okay, though? I found you after I spotted a demon in the area…did she hurt you?"

Vankyuria gave him a confused look. "Do I…look hurt?"

"You look terrified. Sorry if I scared you…" Xander half-smiled and offered his hand as he stood up. "Need a lift?"

"Sure…" Vankyuria gave him a slightly awkward look as she gave him her hand. He picked her up with ease.

"Here we go…"He said, dusting his jeans off. "Sorry for all this confusion…" He looked down for a moment in thought, then looked back up. "Where are my manners? Hi, I'm Xander. Welcome to my house." Vankyuria silently nodded, which confused Xander a bit. "Do you have a name?"

Vankyuria decided to play it safe. "Yuri."

"…You-lee?" Xander asked, pronouncing it the way Vankyuria's accent made it sound.

"Yu-ri. Y-u-r-i." Vankyuria replied.

"Oh…" Xander said, enlightened. "Yuri, that's a name I've never heard before…does it mean anything?" He asked, sitting Vankyuria down on the bed.

"It…means lily…like the flower."

"Oh, that's fitting." Xander replied, smiling. "You look like you'd make a good flower in a garden somewhere…" He looked down and smiled. "Ah, are you hungry?" He asked, looking back up.

"A bit…" Her stomach twisted in a knot. "Maybe a bit more than that."

"You want some tea, maybe some toast or a muffin?" He asked.

"That would be nice."

"Alright, get dressed in whatever you'd like, and I'll be back in a moment…" Xander got up and walked out.

Vankyuria grinned slightly and got up. "Maybe this is karma…"

She walked over to the armoire and began shuffling through the various dresses hanging up. She stopped as she saw an ao dai tunic, shaded jade, accompanied with grey silk pants. Vankyuria picked it out and looked at it. "Looks nice…" She dropped the robe and put it on; it fit her as it should. "Nice." She said, pulling her hair out of the collar. She sighed as she walked towards the door, and she once again caught her reflection in the mirror and jumped. She looked herself over, and mused over how plain she looked. "Well, at least he's not trying to kill me…I must look a lot different than I normally do." Vankyuria said softly to herself. She then pulled on her hair. "What to do with you…" She frowned.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in." Vankyuria said. Xander popped his head in as he cracked the door open.

"Are you feeling well enough to eat?" He asked in a concerned tone. "Oh, I miss that dress. My mum used to wear it to parties when I was little."

"It's…nice." Vankyuria replied. "Plain, but nice."

"Thanks…I guess." Xander replied, in a confused yet snarky tone.

"So…breakfast?" She asked.

"Ah, yes…" He opened the door wider with his shoulder, since both his hands were occupied with juggling plates and cups on a tray that he was holding. Vankyuria unconsciously opened the door for him, so that he could safely finish carrying it in.

"In bed, you." He said, winking as he steadied himself.

"…Bed?" She asked.

"It can't be 'breakfast in bed' if you're not in bed." Xander replied. "Now get in bed."

Vankyuria nodded and smiled lightly as she crawled back into bed; the last time she had been brought breakfast in bed was from Necrolai many centuries ago. She had still been little then, by her recollection.

Xander sat the bed tray down in front of her; the tray had a small pot of tea and a teacup, a small bowl of fruits, a few slices of toast with butter, jam, and marmalade on the side, a butter knife, and several muffins of different flavors.

"Sorry if there's a lot there…I wasn't sure what you'd like." Xander said.

"Oh, this is fine…" Vankyuria said, smiling nervously. She looked down and began going through the fruit basket.

She pulled out a granny smith apple and looked at it; she wasn't used to seeing it. "This looks good." She muttered before biting into it. The firm texture gave way under her rough bite, and drops of the tart juice shot into her mouth as she continued biting through. She smiled as she chewed away, enjoying the refreshing bite the apple gave back against her tongue.

"Is it good?" Xander asked, curious.

"I never had one before…I like it very much." She replied. "At home, we never had these…what is it called?"

"An apple."

"Oh. Apple." She replied, biting into it again.

"Where are you from where they have no apples?" Xander asked seemingly amazed at her comment.

"Far away." She said, biting at the apple again.

"I see." Xander said, realizing he wasn't going to get a better answer. He sat down at her feet and watched her finish off the apple, and kept her from eating the core. "No, that's not good for you…"

She then went for some toast and mint jam and butter. "What, no honey?" She then a few slices with the combination. She then looked up as she poured herself some tea. "No sugar, no honey…this is going to be very plain…"

"Sorry, I don't usually take either with my tea."

"Nothing for guests…?"

"What guests?" Xander's voice had an unsettling hint of pain behind it.

"Oh…?" Vankyuria seemed a bit confused. "This is a nice place…why wouldn't anyone wish to visit?"

"My reputation precedes me, sadly." Xander replied, giving a pained smile.

"I can imagine…" Vankyuria replied, thinking of the party thrown the other night.

"Oh, so you've heard of me." Xander said, looking down.

"I've seen you before, in action." Vankyuria replied.

Xander smiled. "I thought I recognized your voice." Vankyuria's eyes widened, the piece of toast still in her mouth as he looked up and grinned. "You're that woman from the party. The cheeky one."

Vankyuria sighed a breath of relief as she took the piece of toast out of her mouth. "You got me!" She said in a false shocked tone.

"I knew I heard your voice before. I don't forget a voice that easily…especially when it scorns me."

"I bet you remember a lot of them, then, don't you?" Vankyuria responded.

"Ah, a comedienne. Lovely." Xander said with a sigh.

She finished off the final piece of toast and she finished off her cup of tea. "I'm done." She said. "Would you like any?"

"Oh, no, I already had my breakfast." Xander replied, picking up the tray. "Relax, and I'll be back in a moment." He walked out and downstairs.

Vankyuria sighed and stared out at the sun.

"Even if it is a bit cold outside this morning…a house wouldn't be this cold." She replied.

She got up and stretched, then went and grabbed a pair of socks for her bare feet. She then walked around and rested her arms on the windowsill; a small group of vines were crawling up the side of the wall beside her, which she stared at for a moment until she heard footsteps behind her, she then looked back to see Xander, who was now wearing a riding cloak.

"Admiring the view?" Xander asked.

"Very nice, it is." Vankyuria replied.

"Well, whenever you want, we can go."

"…Go?"

Xander gave her a look, but then scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I was thinking…I could give you a ride back home, ya know, in case the demon comes back after you. If you don't want me to, that's fine…"

"…Oh." Vankyuria looked down. "No, I'll be fine."

"Okay then…" He replied, sounding defeated. She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked downwards at his nails. For a moment, he stayed silent until a thought crossed his mind. "would you mind if I checked up on you later?"

"Well, I won't be home, that's for sure." Vankyuria replied snarkily.

"Oh? Well, where will you be?" Xander asked, looking up.

"…I'm not sure." She replied.

"Well, it's obviously not a good idea to wander so soon…" Xander replied. "They have ways of finding people."

"You've got no idea…" Vankyuria replied with a huff.

"Exactly. You should be someplace safe." He replied. "Can I bring you to somebody's house around here? Do you have friends here in Briarwood?"

"I have none…" She replied coldly.

"…I see." Xander replied, somewhat confused. "If you're from a town far away, and you're here in Briarwood with nobody here to be with…then why are you here?"

"Because…I don't know. I don't know why I came here. Maybe I'm just…just a fool." She replied, grabbing the windowsill.

"You can stay here if you'd like." Xander said. "It's not like you'll have to fight anybody over a room…"

"No…it's not safe…"

"I can assure you that if anybody breaks into this house, I'm either dead or in a coma." Xander replied. "This is one of the safest houses in town, I can assure you."

Vankyuria sighed deeply. It was an intriguing situation that she was in; take shelter in an enemy's home and feel guilty and terrified every moment that she'd let her true self slip, or be continuously attacked by her old allies while she was completely vulnerable and very killable.

"I'll respect either choice." Xander said. Vankyuria smiled; when was the last time she had a choice?

"I hope you don't mind my company."

"On the contrary." Xander replied with a warm smile.

Necrolai reported back to Infershia, where Midhat was waiting for her.

"Did you kill Vankyuria, Necrolai?" He said, waving his fan angrily.

"No, sir." She said with a bow.

"I don't see her energy readings anywhere….I don't see her at all!" Midhat said in a slightly annoyed tone. "Would you like to tell me where her energy has gone if she's not dead…?"

Necrolai smiled as she stood back up. "I…relieved her of it. I'll be putting it to better use for the Master…"

"I see…" Midhat smiled. "See to it that you put it to good use then."

"Oh, I will." Necrolai said with confidence. "I promise."

Back at Xander's house, Vankyuria had decided upon paying back Xander by cleaning the house, much to the chagrin of Acantha, who normally did the job. Vankyuria began with picking up laundry around the entire house, singing while she went from room to room.

"Taimu izu manee…shourai, kokkakoumuin da nanteiu na…yume ga nai na…aijou yori money…daarin wa sarariiman datte ii jan…ai ga areba…" She sat the basket up on her head as she traveled from the downstairs bathroom to Xander's room. "Doo doodoodoo doodoo, doo doodoodoo doodoo, doo doodoodoo doo, doo doodoodoo doo, doo doodoodoo doo, doo doodoodoo doo, doo doodoodoo doo, doo doo doo…" she vocalized as she stepped up the steps in time to the rhythm in her head.

She stopped at his bedroom door and stopped singing. "Oh how did that go…?" She shrugged. "Oh well." She opened the door after knocking to check for anyone inside. She opened the door and sat the basket under the mirror that sat next to the door.

She started digging out the dirty clothes from under his bed. "Eh…" She said as she began tossing them into the basket. "Donburakokko…yo no naka, ukishizumi ga hageshii naa…donna toki demo…kachi ga kawaranai no wa tada anata…" She softly sang as she continued her self-inflicted chore. She then decided to singsong the rest of what she remembered as she gave the room one last look-over before leaving. "Shonen wa, itsumademo, itsumademo kataomoi, jouentsu ni, jouentsu ni, onedan tsu, kerarenai…"

She turned around to leave, only to see Xander standing in the doorway giving her a menacing look. Vankyuria gulped.

"I hope you knocked." He said, slightly humored at the sight as he walked in.

"Yes, I knocked. I am sure that you would not like me to…to…what's that word…? Trespass? Defile? No, no…"

"…Violate?" Xander said, opening up his armoire and hanging up his riding cloak.

"Yes! Violate. I am sure that you would not like me to…violate…your sacred space."

"Ha, me having a sacred space anywhere is an insane concept." Xander replied.

"Still. I am a guest, as you said. I have to respect your humble gratitude and the things inside."

"Well, my home is my joy and pride." His remark, somehow, seemed very snide.

Vankyuria walked downstairs, tired and worn. She sat down on the couch and sighed. "…Where do I put the dirty clothes…?" She wondered.

"I'll take those." Acantha said, speaking as if Vankyuria had blundered.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the front door. Vankyuria panicked and got up, but then fell to the floor.

"I'm so tired…" She muttered as she tried to get up.

Acantha began to gripe. "Ugh! This place is a dump!"

Vankyuria got back up to her feet. The door again was beat on; she wondered if she should flee. Once again, there was a knock; Vankyuria decided to go forwards and suck it up. She opened the front door and gasped in shock; on the other side stood Madison and Vida.

"I'm…sorry. Did we knock on the wrong door?" Madison said, slightly confused.

"Shut up Maddie." Vida said, then turning to Vankyuria. "Who the hell are you?"

"I…uh…" Vankyuria panicked as Xander walked down the stairs. Vida looked like she was about to turn about as green as Xander's teeshirt.

"Hey girls!" Xander shouted with a grin on his face. He walked up behind Vankyuria and smiled. "Go sit down, I'll handle this." Vankyuria smiled nervously and lied down on the couch. "So, what brings you two here…?"

"Did you fuck her, Xander?" Vida asked, trying not to gag.

Xander sighed angrily. "No, I didn't."

Vida smiled as she looked down at her stomach and began to poke it in an authoritative manner. "You hear that? Xander's still a virgin!"

Xander looked down in embarrassment. "What do you two want?" He asked, still looking at the ground.

"We were walking around town and we decided to visit you. That, and the door to the shop's not open, so we can't work even if we wanted to."

Xander's eyes widened as he looked up. "I completely forgot! I've been busy taking care of Yuri and…" He checked his watch. "Majiel, we're not gonna be ready for lunch!" He looked behind him. "Hey Yuri, wanna come with me?"

Vankyuria panicked; she knew that the entire Mystic Force camped out at Xander's bakery. However, she began to completely doubt that she'd be figured out. "Sure."

"C'mon, we've got no time to waste then."

Vankyuria smiled; she felt like she was at home for the first time in centuries.

At Rootcore, Clare sighed as she sat down beside Nick's bed. "How are you, Nick?" His fever was non-existent now; he was merely resting and recovering. "I wish you could tell me how you are…"

_Wooden bars sat around Nick; a playpen of sorts was where he was by deduction. His mother stood, cooing at Nick. "How is my little angel…?" She said, sitting a little stuffed red bird in front of him. Nick happily stuck it in his mouth, which made his mother giggle. The bedroom door was flung open which made Nick's mother jump. She turned around and gasped._

"_Sorin!" She shouted, running to the door. Nick blinked a few times and crawled around to see who was at the door. A man with tanned skin and gold armor kneeled at the doorframe, smearing his blood on the white door and he tried to keep steady._

"_Sorin, you've been wounded!" Nick's mother shouted. "What's going on?"_

"_We're on our last leg…" Sorin said._

"_Let me heal your wounds…" Nick's mother said._

"_We don't have the time. I need to take you out to the field…this may be our last chance…" Sorin winced._

"_Last…chance…?" Nick's mother asked._

"_To see…Fintan…"_

"_Why…? Is he hurt…?"_

_Sorin shook his head in the negative. "He wants to do something…but his chances of returning are…slim at best…"_

"_No…no!" Nick's mother shouted. "I…I can't let him…"_

"_Please, calm down…" Sorin said, grabbing Nick's mother's shoulder._

"_Branwen!" Nick's mother shouted. A young girl ran up from behind Sorin._

"_Yes, mom?" Branwen said. _

"_Watch your brother." Nick's mother said as she got up and left._

"_Wait! Don't go!" Sorin shouted, getting up. She went to leave as Branwen walked in. Sorin was stopped by another tan man who was wearing what appeared to be silver armor designed to look like a dragon with spiked hair. "Taranis…stop her!" He begged. _

"_We don't have time for that, Sorin…" Taranis said calmly, almost too calmly. "I need you to come with me…I heard of an army that plans to rout our efforts at crushing Infershia…"_

_Sorin breathed for a moment and steadied himself. "I'm too injured to go…"_

"_I'll heal you on the way…don't worry…" Taranis smiled. "Shall we go…?"_

_Sorin looked back at Branwen, who smiled reassuringly. "Fine, let us crush the routers." The two then left._

Nick began breathing heavily as the dream passed. Clare panicked. "Nick…just relax…" She grabbed his hands and smiled. "Don't fret…we're all here waiting for you…"

Chip wandered into Rootcore to find Kiran playing with Tsubasa. Kiran looked over and gasped.

"Nee-yahh!" He shouted. Tsubasa squawked a warning shriek and followed Kiran over to Chip. "You're a mess! What happened to you…?" Kiran helped Chip into his seat. "I tell ya, you kids today work as hard as your predecessors…" He muttered.

"I fought her…I fought her and I destroyed her…" Chip said with a smile as Kiran began using healing herbs on Chip's multiple wounds. "She didn't even care about you, Tsubasa…I should have trusted you…" Tsubasa, who stood up to Chip's chest while Chip was sitting down, nuzzled Chip, prompting the Yellow Magician to smile and run his hand against the top of the hippogryph's head.

"Mommy didn't care about you…I'm so sorry…" Chip smiled weakly, trying to keep face. "We're your family, Tsubasa…don't ever forget that…"

Tsubasa gave a soft, loving squawk while Kiran continued on with his work. "When Uncle Charlie feels better, you wanna go practice flying…?" He cooed.

"Heh, 'when' being an operative word." Kiran said. "She got you good, Charlie. You're gonna need a few weeks to heal your side up before you do any sort of non-broom flying."

"And how would you know that?" Chip asked, giving Kiran a look.

"I've existed for a very long time, Charlie. I learned plenty of things in my time; anatomy and healing were big things in my neighborhood…in fact, lots of people were scholars. Lots of people still are, too…"

"I see." Chip replied, nodding. He winced from the wounds in his face.

"Eh, yeah. Try to be careful with your face there…that's gonna take a while to heal too…of course, I'm saying all of this with just my healing techniques…I'm sure the other Magicians are better at this than I am…"

"You're pretty good, I must say." Chip replied, half-smiling on his right side. "Is it supposed to feel icy?"

"Yes, very icy to kill off whatever infection the inflictor might've given you." Kiran replied. "It'll sting a little later, though, so be warned that flinching might not be a good idea…"

"Thanks. I think I might just sleep, though."

"Good idea. You can crash on the couch, and Birdman and I'll check up on ya."

"Sounds good to me…" Chip said, half-smiling as he got up.

Over at the Viner Street Bakery, "Yuri", as she once been called, found herself enjoying the lovely slice of peach bread that Madison had just finished making. Xander brought her a cup of tea and a small container of sugar.

"You enjoying your meal, Yuri?" He asked, bending over to look her in the eyes.

Yuri giggled and nodded; Xander's accent was different from the rest of the group's, as it had a slurring drawl to it, and the way he pronounced her name, "your-ree", sounded comical to her.

"I'll take that as a yes." He replied with a smile, standing up and walking back into the baking room in the back.

Vida watched him walk back, then walked over to Madison. "Majiel, he's really trying hard, isn't he?" She whispered.

"I don't remember him ever being so incredibly friendly towards any woman before…" Madison replied back in the same whispering tone.

"Yeah, usually it's all, 'Hey, do you have a mirror in your pants, because I can see myself in them.' and 'I lost my house in an accident. Can I stay in yours?' and all that…"

"Mmm, yeah. But you have to admit, it's nice to see him actually not trying to charm her pants off."

Yuri looked over at the Rocca Sisters and glared.

"What're you glaring at?" Vida asked.

"You two are very rude." Yuri said.

"How so?" Vida replied crossing her arms.

"You gossip behind his back like two old street hags, like he means nothing to you. How rude!" Yuri said, standing up from her seat.

"Well, you should lay off, because you're eavesdropping, which's just as street hag-like!" Vida replied. Xander poked his head out from the back room.

"Would you look at this…? Everybody's so cheery…it's great to see this…" Xander said, walking out into the middle of the room with a dopey smile plastered on his face. "You girls just hang out, and I'll make some sugar cookies." Xander said with a smile as he walked back into the back room. After a second, he poked his head back out. "Oh, and Vida, I told you to sweep the floor. Nick'll be here soon."

"…Xander? Nick's in a coma."

"He'll snap out of it. You'll see…" Xander said. "Now sweep! The customers will be here soon!" Xander darted back into the back room.

Yuri glared at Vida and Madison.

"You really get your staring problem fixed." Vida replied.

Yuri sighed. "You two are bad friends." She replied, sitting down.

The rest of the day moved on uneventfully, and Xander happily brought Yuri back to his place. She panicked and wondered if she should make dinner.

"Would you mind if I made dinner?" Xander asked, as if he had read her mind.

"You…make dinner…for me…?" Yuri seemed a bit shocked.

"Well, you're a guest and should be relaxing. I'd pick up something on the way home, but I thought it would be nice to make something instead."

"I…I guess…you could make something…if you want…" Yuri replied, a bit dumbfounded.

They arrived at Xander's house, and Yuri decided to take a refreshing bath and change into a more suitable outfit for dinner. She grabbed the bathrobe from the morning and a bottle of light purple liquid labeled 'bath oils' next to the tub in the bathroom.

She slowly poured the lavender smelling mixture into the running water in the bathtub, creating millions of tiny, purple-tinted bubbles that floated happily across the water's surface. She smiled and crawled into the bath, crushing all the bubbles in her path. She giggled as they popped and tickled her skin.

Yuri breathed in the powerful and soothing lavender scent. She smiled and turned the tub faucet off with her toes, then played with the bubbles by kicking them around the large tub. "Chu, chu, chu…awa, awa…chu, chu, chu…awa, awa…" She sing-songed as she grabbed a bottle of green 'hair wash', as it was labeled.

She scrubbed every square inch of her long black hair, smiling as she continued on. She sunk deep into the bubbly mass for a while until there was a knock at the door. She poked her head up through the mass of bubbles. "Nani?"

Xander opened the door slightly and poked his head in. "Everything okay?"

"Hai…" Yuri replied nervously.

"Oh! I almost didn't see you…" Xander said sheepishly. "Well, dinner is almost ready, just to let you know."

"Okay. I will be down soon." She replied. Xander smiled and left. "I feel so…hungry…" Yuri grumbled as she sunk down into the bubbles.

After a few more minutes, Yuri washed the hair wash out of her hair, leaving a lovely herbal smell lingering within her long locks. She quickly scrubbed her body down and smiled, getting out of the bath. She walked out to the armoire and grabbed a forest green yutaka with purple flowers, wrapping herself in it. She grabbed her grey scarf and began tying it like an obi, wrapping it in various knots until she was satisfied. She quickly fished a pair of geta out of one of the various shoeboxes at the bottom of the armoire and slipped them on before digging out a pair of sticks to use for her hair bun. She then walked downstairs as fast as she could.

Downstairs, Xander was waiting for her in the doorway of the kitchen, dressed in a red collared shirt and a pair of tan leather pants, with a slightly tarnished pair of black dress shoes. "Welcome, madame, to Chez Bly." Yuri smiled. "I've reserved a seat for ya, and your order's been put in. May I take your coat?" He held out his hand comically and waited for a moment before continuing. "Oh…you have no coat, I see…"

Yuri laughed. "So funny, you are!"

"Ah, I try. Sit down and enjoy." Xander said, moving out of the way.

The dining table had a cream colored lace cloth draped over it, and in the center sat a lovely array of exotic flowers in a large vase, little green sprites floating up around it, illuminating the room in a bright green glow. Acantha stood happily with a tray, a chef's hat sitting slouched on her head and an apron tied around her.

"Oh, I like your hair!" Acantha said as Yuri approached the table.

"Oh, the soap in the bathroom worked wonders…" She replied.

Xander quickly pulled the chair out for her and helped her into her seat.

"Thank you." Yuri replied.

"No need to thank me." Xander replied as he walked over to his seat.

That was Acantha's cue. She set the two plates of garden salad down on the table, along with an extra serving of dressing. "Enjoy. The main course will be out in a few minutes."

Yuri quickly folded her hands in prayer. Xander looked up and dropped his fork and folded his hands in a similar fashion. Yuri looked up and stopped. "You pray, too…?"

"Oh, I don't want to be rude to your routine." He replied. Yuri nodded silently, then continued with her silent prayer. Xander wasn't sure what to pray about, so he silently prayed that he didn't screw up. She suddenly clapped her hands together and shouted "Itadakimasu!", which made Xander jump.

"Eat-uh-tah-key-huh-wha?" Xander said in a confused tone.

"Oh…" Yuri blushed. "Itadakimasu. It's what I say before every meal."

"…Oh. Then 'Et-eh-tah-key-moss' as well." Xander said, clapping his hands together.

She then began tearing into the salad, Xander quickly catching up to her. Yuri took a small break as she realized that there were no drinks. "No wine?" She asked after she had swallowed.

"Oh! Acantha! Drinks!" Xander gave an embarrassed look. "I knew I forgot something…"

Acantha quickly poured the pair goblets of raspberry wine and brought to the table. "Here you are." She said as she sat the goblets down. She then leaned over and whispered, "The bottle's finished, Master."

"That's fine." He replied. Yuri took a long sip and sighed after she felt the liquid hit her stomach.

"So much better." She replied, relieved.

"You haven't even gotten to the best part of the meal." Xander said, taking a sip.

"I can't wait." Yuri replied. The two finished off their salads, which cued Acantha to put the finishing touch on the main course before collecting the salad bowls and replacing them with the finished main course.

Yuri stared down in curiosity; on the plate sat a large serving of angel hair pasta, hunks of pancetta, and small bits of boiled eggs, lightly dressed in a cream sauce, sprinkled with parsley. However, most of this was all fairly foreign to Yuri.

"Is…something wrong?" Xander asked, worried.

"No…I've just…never seen this before. What is it?"

"It's pasta alla carbonara. …Are you allergic to cream sauces…?"

"No! No, I just…haven't seen it before."

"Well, try it. I'm sure you'll like it." He replied with a weak smile.

"Okay…" Yuri then slid the fork across the plate, collecting stray noodles and coming up with only a small fraction of what she wanted. Xander smiled.

"You're supposed to stick your fork in and spin." He said.

"…oh." She replied. She did what Xander said and she easily collected a vast amount. She smiled and stuffed the entire mound into her mouth, chewing slowly to study the flavor. Xander sat, waiting for the response. After a moment or two, Yuri smiled and hummed a pleased tone before chewing again.

"Oh, there's not too much garlic? I got worried…"

Yuri nodded in the negative, then continued eating. Xander then began to eat with her.

Acantha sighed and leaned against the wall dividing the kitchen from the dining room. "This is the most peaceful night ever…" She then noticed a burning smell. "Ack! My caramel!"

After dinner, Xander led Yuri back up to her room and smiled. "Rest well." He said. Yuri stopped him from closing the door; she realized that tonight would be Xander's night to stargaze.

"What are you going to do?" Yuri asked, playing dumb.

"Me…? I…was gonna look up at the sky tonight."

"But the sky's overcast."

"…It is, isn't it?" Xander replied.

"So what will you do then?" Yuri asked.

"I'm not sure…" Xander said. "Maybe go water my plant or something and go to bed, I guess…"

"A plant…? Growing at the end of summer…?" Yuri continued to play dumb.

"Yeah! It's a project I'm doing…"

"Can I see?" Yuri said, getting excited.

"Uh…sure, I guess…"

She followed him up to his bedroom balcony where the plant sat. A small watering can sat next to the giant pot, and the plant's small buds were forming on the branches.

"Oh…is this a tree?" Yuri asked.

"I'm hoping it will be." Xander replied.

"Oh. What kind if tree?"

"…I'm not sure. I've been doing all this cross pollination and herbology, and I'm hoping to make an evergreen flower tree."

"Oh…what would the flowers look like?"

"That…I'm also not sure about." He replied.

"Interesting. I hope I can see it bloom." She said happily.

"I don't think either of you will live long enough to see that." A voice cackled from behind them. Yuri jumped and Xander grabbed her wrist and looked back. Necrolai stood on Xander's roof. Xander instinctively stepped in front of Yuri.

"Get off my roof." Xander said, reaching for his wand, which was in his back pocket.

"Move out of the way, Green Magician. I wish to speak to your…guest."

"You'll speak to her through me." Xander replied. "Leave now or I'll promise you you'll get marble and vines driven into parts of your body you didn't think could harbor them."

"Oh, you don't terrify me in the least." Necrolai replied, flicking her neck and flinging a frizzy blonde pigtail back.

"I'm giving you a final warning. Leave or suffer."

"Silence. Mejira Zazzado." With a simple flick of her wrist, a wave of red and black light which, as it slammed into Xander, caused him to drop his wand and flung him over the balcony railing. Xander grabbed the bottom ledge quickly, and Yuri attempted to get to him.

"Go inside…I'll be fine!" Xander said. Yuri nodded, grabbed Xander's wand and ran inside.

"That's right! Just obey your beloved Green Magician, traitorous coward!" Necrolai shouted, jumping down to the balcony.

Xander used every last bit of his upper body strength to pull himself back onto the balcony. He stood up and glared. "Don't say I didn't warn you!" The balcony doors, as well as the rest of the doors in the house, slammed shut and sealed themselves together. "Ferren Rocca." The ground below him spit up his wand, and he caught it without looking. "Maagi Magi Majiiro!" The green Magic Circle appeared beneath him and within moments he was suited up in his Mystic Armor. He spun his MagiStaff, wordlessly transforming it into its Axe form. He tightly gripped the handle with both hands and took an aggressive stance.

"Zazzado!" Necrolai said, firing off a bolt of crimson-black energy. Xander swung his axe like a baseball bat, bouncing the shot off the blade and back at Necrolai. She shadow strafed around the shot and returned a few inches in front of Xander's face. Xander smiled, and swung the axe upwards in an arc. "Jii Majika!" The Minotaur Crystal glowed, and the marble beneath the axe started to quiver, like the surface of water. It was drawn upwards with the swing and solidified, creating a rock wall. Necrolai smashed into rock wall and bounced down to the ground.

"Jiruma Magi Maagi!" Xander dispelled the rock wall, then slammed his axe into the marble. The marble held the axe in place in its semi-liquid state, and it sent out the rippling effect, encircling Necrolai. Several marble spires shot up around Necrolai, capturing her and preventing her from shadow strafing. She pressed up against a wall, and it suddenly shot spike out, impaling her. She stepped back and fell to her knees. Xander saw that he had won and dropped the wall.

"So, do you give up now…?"

"I won't…fade away…" She said, grabbing her chest and the blood poured down. "Douza Meru Mejira!" She pointed at Xander, drawing from him a thread of green light. Xander screamed and dropped to his knees, his axe dropping out of his hands. The light she absorbed began to shine dimly within her wounds, regenerating them rapidly. She siphoned off his magic power until she was fully healed, which dropped him out of transformation. Xander clutched his chest and struggled to breathe; the severe pain had nearly paralyzed him.

Necrolai laughed. "Oh, how the tables have turned…" She flicked her hair back. "I'll leave you with a fraction of your power…I'll let you run in fear."

"Don't come back here again." Xander shot coldly at her as he grabbed his wand. "Ferren Rocca." He began to sink down into the marble below.

"Mee Zanga Megaro." Necrolai said, pointing at Xander. The crimson-black light shot at him, shooting through his body like a shockwave. He winced as he sunk entirely into the marble and reappeared in his room. Yuri ran up to him and helped him up. He set his wand on the nightstand while Yuri sat him down on the bed.

"Your hands are cold…" She said. "Did she hurt you badly…?"

"I just need some rest…" Xander replied, lying back on his bed, kicking his shoes off. Yuri slowly slid her geta off and lied down next to him.

She slowly moved closer and took the sticks out of her hair before lying her head down on his chest. She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her; one hand tightly gripping her right shoulder, the other warmly slung around her waist, grabbing her left side. He sighed a sigh of relief. "As long as you're alright…that's all that concerns me…" He said. Yuri took an amazing pride as she listened in the silence that followed; the sound of Xander's heartbeat could be heard, bringing a smile to the former Vampire Queen's face.

_It's the gift I gave myself…the life I gave out of spite…is the life that has saved me…I can not be more thankful…_

She sighed contently and drifted off to sleep.

Necrolai arrived back in Infershia, snickering. Midhat stood up and waved his fan a bit.

"I'm confused by your cheeriness. Explain it."

"I know that you wish to cripple the Mystic Force…I've made it much easier…"

"Oh! Good news, then!" Midhat stretched his arms and cracked his neck. "This news makes today so much better…I feel like destroying Terra…"

"…Why not Mysteria, Midhat?"

"The Magicians live in a Terran town, Necrolai. Only one of them would really care if we went and annihilated Mysteria. I say destroy their foundations, then sweep away the rest of Earth while they try to pick up the pieces!" He shouted, raising his fan to the air triumphantly. He then winced and grabbed his chest. "Ugh, perhaps…not yet. But soon. Continue your work…" Necrolai helped Midhat to his throne. "Ah, thank you."

"Keep your strength. I will seek out a new target for you."

"Continue your good work." Midhat swung his fan upwards.

In the morning, Yuri woke up to a morbid silence. She shivered; Xander's body was cold and had drawn away most of the heat in her body.

"…Xander…?" Yuri said, trying to get up. She tried to get out of his grip, but his arms were solidly in place. She grabbed his hand around her waist, and found that it was cold and stiff. She panicked and looked upwards; Xander was fully encased in stone from head to toe in marble.

Yuri whimpered. "Oh no…no, no, no…"

She panicked and tried to wrestle free from his grip, but he had been holding her too tightly before, so there was no way to break free from his grip. She looked over and saw his wand on the nightstand and smiled. "If I could…only…reach it…"

She slowly began moving her left arm upwards, beneath his right arm and through the gap between his arm and the rest of him. She then stretched her arm out as far as she could reach, and even then she could barely touch a horn on the crystal.

"C'mon…" Yuri said, gritting her teeth.

The wand suddenly jumped into her hand and she gripped it tightly and smiled. "Yes!" She pulled her arm back and tried to remember what she was going to do. "This curse…hm…a Binding Curse, I think…" She said as she pulled her right arm loose and grabbed Xander's left arm. "How to…reverse…hm…"

The curse's symbols came to mind, as well as the counter-curse's. "Oh! Okay… Mee Zanga Megaro Majiine!" The Minotaur crystal glowed for a fraction of a second, then fell dormant again. Nothing happened to Xander. "No? Should I say it louder? Mee Zanga Megaro Majiine!" The volume of her voice only caused the crystal to glow for a tiny bit longer, with the same lack of results. "C'mon…I'm trying to save your user, wand! Work with me here!" She shouted at the crystal.

"Mee Zanga Megaro Majiine!" She shouted louder, but the same thing as before happened. "If it's not the loudness of my voice that does it…then what is it…?" She sighed. "Is it because I'm a vampire? No…not it. Is it…because this is his wand? No, can't be it either…Mahoutsukai can trade wands, I've seen it before. Is it because I'm not a Mahoutsukai or a Madoushi…?" Yuri sighed. "Maybe that is it." She frowned. "But this is important, Mahou Saints! Do you want your Midori no Mahoutsukai to fade away?"

The wand glowed a bright green, and Yuri stared at it. "This light…"

Up in Magitopia, Grangel was tending to his wide garden with Winjiel by his side. Winjiel squealed as she spotted a patch of daisies. "Oh, lovely!" She said in her soft and ethereal voice, covering her mouth as she began to giggle.

"Oh, I haven't watered those in a while…Spragel!" He shouted. Spragel appeared next to Grangel, holding a bucket of water. "Ah, you read my mind."

"The daisies, right?" Spragel asked.

"Yup."

"I'm on it." Spragel said, slithering over to the patch of daisies.

"Spragel! Daisies!" Winjiel said, giggling.

"Yes, daisies." Spragel replied calmly, hiding his slight annoyance.

"A light!" Winjiel said, pointing down and to the right, away from the other two Saints.

"A…light?" Grangel said. He looked, a bright green light was rocketing up through the clouds below. "Oh, a light from Xander!"

"Not Xander…" Winjiel said, looking down.

"Oh yes, the Queen Vampire Yuri…" Grangel said, peering downwards. "I have been following this all day…"

"It sounds like she wants our help trying to do a counter-curse…but isn't it a Madou spell?" Spragel asked.

"We should help her, regardless. A one-time chance, for Xander." Winjiel said.

"Xander is our friend and ally, but for Yuri…" Grangel wasn't sure.

"She's a Vampire, the Queen Vampire even, but she's a pariah." Spragel replied.

"She wants to help Xander…it's not like we give her and chance and she kills him or regains her power with it…" Winjiel said, looking up to the much taller Grangel.

"I'd like to think on his…" Grangel said.

"What if she's gotta pee?" Winjiel asked, placing a finger to her lips in thought.

"He's solid marble. It's not like he's gonna melt. Though those sheets…" Spragel muttered, placing his hand to his chin.

Grangel sighed. "If Flajiel doesn't find out…then I suppose that we can do it just this once…" Grangel hesitantly said.

"YAY!" Winjiel cheered, tossing her arms up and fluttering her wings.

"Just once. A wise choice." Spragel replied.

"Then…by the power vested in me by the Almighty Majiel, I now make you, Queen Vampire Yuri, a temporary Green Magician." Grangel said, pointing downwards. "Good for one counter-curse only. No refills, no refunds, no bull. Go for it."

Down in Briarwood, the Minotaur crystal shined brightly, illuminating the room.

"You got one shot, Yuri." A voice from behind her said. "Free 'em, then you're done."

"Who…?"

"I am the Heavenly Saint Grangel, and his is my decree. Your plea has been answered, but do not expect this again."

"All I want is for Xander to not be cursed." She replied.

"Then you've got it. Try the counter-curse one more time."

"I will." She replied. "Mee Zanga Megaro Majiine!" The crystal's light shot out and engulfed Xander's form, loosening his joints and allowing his arms to move. Yuri rolled out of his grasp, and looked over at Grangel. He was smiling, standing there in his warrior form, his white staff in his grip.

"I have high hopes for you…" Grangel said with a smile. "Take care of him." Yuri nodded, then he faded and disappeared.

The marble started to crack and splinter as the green light bore deep into the outer shell, and finally it broke apart, restoring Xander back to life. Xander gasped for air and sat up, jolting Yuri a bit. Xander saw Yuri and tightly embraced her, still breathing heavily.

"The counter-curse worked…!" Yuri said happily as she hugged him back.

"I could hear you calling my name…trying to save me…thank you…" He said happily. "I'm so damn happy to be alive…I could just…ah, to hell with it!" Xander pulled Yuri back a bit, then kissed her, holding it for a few seconds, then returning himself and the now blushing and stunned Yuri back to their original embrace.

"I'm…glad to see…your appreciation." Yuri said nervously, blushing even heavier.

Xander then pushed her back, his eyes widened in fear. "We have to get out of here."

"What?" Yuri asked, confused.

"We have to get out of here…Necrolai…she knows you're here…"

"It's okay!" Yuri said, placing a hand to his chest. "I'll go."

"No! I'm not letting that vampire bitch hurt you." He stood up, still holding Yuri. "Go upstairs and get some clothes to wear…a few days' worth. I'll meet up with you in the main hall in ten minutes, okay?"

"Hai." She replied. He let her go and she ran back to her room.

She took off her yutaka and grabbed a plain plum-colored men's tunic and a pair of baggy grey sweatpants to wear, quickly changing into them before yanking the bedsheet off the bed and piling outfits and accessories into it before tossing the scarf and yutaka into it and tying it up. She sighed as she grabbed a pair of boots and quickly put them on before running back downstairs. Xander already had his bag sitting at his feet and his riding cloak on, a riding cloak in hand.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Yes." She replied.

"Put this on and let's go." He gave her a green silk-lined riding cloak, which she quickly put on. She then grabbed her sack, as did Xander, and he grabbed her hand with his free hand and led her out.

He shrunk the two bags and tossed them in the broom's seat compartment, then got the seating arrangements in line. "Onward!" He shouted.

"Iku ze!" Yuri replied, pumping her fist in the air.

"Hold on tight, because this might get bumpy." He looked back as she clinged to him. "Levia! Movrum!" He smiled as they began flying off. "Ever flown before?"

"Oh, many a time."

"Probably not like this though, right?"

"Not at all."

"Ah, you'll love this." He revved the broom as they flew onwards.

They flew into the forest, the trees practically darting out of their way. Tsubasa greeted them and flew back to Rootcore with them. He squawked and walked over to Yuri.

"Tsubasa…" she said, petting its wings and getting down off the broom. Tsubasa squawked and walked around her, examining her.

"You two met before?" Xander asked.

"No." She replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you know his name…"

"His name is Tsubasa…?"

"Yeah."

"How perfect!" She giggled. "I had said 'tsubasa' because it means two wings, and he has two wings, so I thought it was only right to say it because I didn't know his name." Tsubasa lifted her hand up with his beak. "Oh, hi there, chibi Tsubasa-kun!"

"I see." Xander grabbed the bags and grew them back to their normal size. The broom flew towards Rootcore's broom bay as Xander handed her her bag. "Inside, both of you."

"Hai." Yuri said, slightly bowing before leading Tsubasa inside with her.

Xander directed Yuri up to his room, with Tsubasa tailing them. "Go find mum or dad, Tsubasa." Xander replied as he opened the door. Tsubasa whimpered and walked downstairs. Yuri poked his bicep. "Ow, what?"

"Rude." She said. "He wants to be with us."

"Sorry." He replied sheepishly.

"Let me put my stuff in your room…" Yuri said, squeezing past him.

"Geez." Xander said.

Clare poked her head out of Nick's room. "What's going on out here?"

Yuri looked out, then gasped and hid behind Xander.

"It's okay, Yuri, this's a friend of mine. This is Clare." Xander said.

"Why in Majiel's name is she here?" Clare said, pointing at Yuri.

"That Necrolai is trying to kill her off, and she found her at my house, so I'm bringing her here. This place is impenetrable!"

"That's what they said about the Titanic…" Clare mumbled under her breath. "Well, Xander, in your infinite bumbling, you forgot that we don't let anybody but our group in here."

"Please, Clare? She's got no place to go…" Xander wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Clare looked at them for a moment, then sighed.

"Ah, fine. Just keep the noise down." She leaned back into Nick's room. "This place's quickly becoming a homeless shelter anyways…"

Xander and Yuri went downstairs and spotted Chip, who still was battle-worn. "Hey, mate, what happened to you?" He asked. Tsubasa was sitting silently, on guard, and Chip's hand was on his head. Yuri sat down next to Tsubasa and ran her hand over his beak, then patted it twice.

"I fought Ica…" Chip said weakly.

"Did you beat her?" Xander asked.

"I killed her." Chip replied with a hollow tone in his voice.

Xander nodded silently and Yuri sighed and smiled weakly.

"Hey kids, back away from the intensive care unit." Kiran said, shooing Tsubasa, Yuri, and Xander away. "There, much better."

Xander sighed as Madison and Vida walked in. Vida noticed Yuri and she jumped back. "What the hell…? Why is she here?" Vida said in a tone of disgust.

"They're trying to kill her, Vi. We can't let them do it."

"Why did you two come here?" Madison asked.

"Necrolai came to my house to attack us and-" A shockwave coursed through Xander, causing him to drop to his knees and howl in pain.

"Xander!" The girls shouted, running to his side. Xander looked up, his eyes alight with pain.

"I'm fine…I'm fine…" Xander said, wincing and waving them back. "Necrolai drained a great deal of magic out of me…I'm just a little worn out."

Yuri got up and walked to the bookshelf. She began looking through the volumes before she found the book she was looking for and grabbed it and began flipping through the pages. Kiran stared, wide-eyed. "NYAAAAAAH! Put that book down!" He said, chasing her. Yuri sat down in Xander's seat and slammed the book down once she found what she was looking for. "That's a book of Madou Spells!"

"And counter-spells." Yuri replied. "Now giant, you giant furball, I'm trying to read."

Kiran watched as she intently skimmed the passages. "You…you can read all that…?"

"I can read and speak several languages fluently." Yuri replied without looking up.

Vida glared at her. "See? I knew something was up!" Vida shouted, walking towards Yuri. "Some girl just waltzes around out of the blue, and the next thing you know, she's whipping out dark magic books and reading them? You know what's next? She's gonna kill us all!" Vida stopped several paces away from Yuri and gave her a menacing glare.

"Shut it, Vida." Chip said coldly.

"Like you're one to talk!" Vida shouted at him. "The last time you dragged somebody in here, we all thought she was fine, and look what happened there!"

Chip shot up and glared at her. "You just shut up! Just shut the hell up!"

"Both of you! Stop it!" Madison shouted, causing both of them to fall silent. "Vida, apologize to him for that comment."

"But…!" Vida tried to plead, but saw quickly that her attempt was fruitless. She sighed deeply. "I…I'm sorry. I…didn't mean to…bring that up…"

Chip sat down silently, then lied back down. Xander stood back up and walked over to Yuri's side.

He looked over her shoulder and down at the text; everything was a mass of words put together that he had never seen before.

"Sit." Yuri instructed to Xander, pointing at a chair close by. Xander complied and sat down.

"What are you looking up…?" Xander asked in a curious tone.

"The curse I broke." She replied.

"Wait, Xander was cursed?" Vida asked.

Yuri didn't respond; she just continued reading. After a moment, her eyes lit up. "OH! Here we go!"

Yuri didn't respond; she just continued reading. After a moment, her eyes lit up. "OH! Here we go!" She smiled. "The Combining Curse…Mee Zanga Megaro. Combines a living target to a nearby or connected target. Causes the first target extreme discomfort followed shortly after by the desired effects; the first target will become fully combined with the second target; taking on the properties of the second target."

"Which's why I turned to stone." Xander replied.

"Exactly." Yuri replied. "Counter-curse is Mee Zanga Megaro Majiine, and though this releases the target from the binding aspect, the first target, and the second target if it was of an organic nature, will continue to feel pain days after." Yuri gave Xander a sad look. "I'm sorry. I tried."

"No, no…you freed me from the curse. As long as the pain fades away, I'll be fine."

"Hai." Yuri replied, making Xander feel perfectly fine as he slunk upstairs and climbed into bed. Yuri smiled.

Two weeks went by, and August changed hands to September; the first Monday being Labor Day to the Terran towns on the North American continent. Clare put off doing her chores, and the Viner Street Bakery was closed, as were all shops in Briarwood. Yuri thought it would be superb to bake a few tarts to mark a late beginning of the month. She smiled as she began piling the trappings of a raspberry pie into Clare's over-the-fireplace pancake pan.

"Mmm…looks good!" Clare said as she snuck up behind Yuri and looked into the pan.

"Oh, thank you." She replied, pushing her hair behind her back. "Do you think Xander will like this flavor of pie?"

"Maybe. I've never made raspberry pies for anybody here." Clare replied.

"I see…" Yuri replied, bringing the pan over to the fireplace.

Vida walked down the stairs an hour later; roused out of her slumber by the smell of the pie. She stretched at the bottom of the stairs, growling and yawning as she did so.

"Pie…" She said in a feral tone, sniffing the air. "I smell…fruity pie…"

"This pie is for Xander." Yuri said defensibly. "But I made a peach pie, and a strawberry kiwi tart."

"Ooh! Peach!" Clare said. "May I have a slice?"

"Yes, you may." She replied.

"Yay!" Clare cheered. "Peach is my absolute favorite kind of pie." She grinned as she grabbed a plate and a knife and fork. "When it cooks up, the peaches get all…ooey gooey…and it's so good!"

"I am glad you like it." Yuri replied, smiling.

Vida, although she still felt malice towards Yuri, decided to impart some advice to the new girl. She walked over to Yuri and whispered "Ya know, her birthday's next month…" into Yuri's ear. Yuri smiled and nodded silently.

Xander walked down just as the raspberry pie was cooling.

"Good afternoon!" Yuri said happily, holding her hands in front of her; her apron graffitied with juice splashes from the pies.

"Good morning…" He yawned, walking down to his seat.

Yuri grabbed a small plate and cut Xander a slice of the cooling pie. She sat the plate and a fork down in front of him. "Tell me what you think." She looked nervous; she even clenched onto her apron. Xander noticed and smiled.

"I doubt it'll be horrible." He reassured with a warm smile. He took a bite, and within moments, a look of ecstasy danced across his face. "Lovely…" He said, talking with his mouth full. He quickly swallowed and blushed. "It's wonderful."

"I'm glad you like it." Yuri said, smiling widely. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek to finalize his approval before diving in for more. Vida winced as she walked out the door.

"They're sickening." She muttered to Clare as she passed by her.

An hour after breakfast, Yuri found herself lying on Xander's bed in Rootcore, watching Xander play around with his hair like he had been for nearly a half an hour. She sat up and sighed. "My hair doesn't even take me this long." She griped.

"Ah, but I'm not done fixing it." He replied. A few more strokes with the comb and he smiled. "There." He turned around. "There, now it's perfect."

"Does it matter?" Yuri asked. Xander looked like she had just slapped him in the face for a moment before he turned back around to look into the mirror.

"It matters to me." Xander replied, coldly. "How I look matters to me. The first thing people learn about me is what I look like. If I looked like some homeless person, who would want to talk to me?"

"Even a beautiful apple can be rotten on the inside." Yuri replied. "And even a handsome man can be an abusive husband. Looks are deceiving. Even mirrors lie."

"What does that have to do with me?" Xander asked. "Are you saying that I'm a jerk?"

"I'm saying that you place too much emphasis on looks alone. I mean…you are here in Rootcore…who are you trying to impress? Relax, kick off your shoes, and just…" Yuri couldn't think of the words to say, so she just sighed. After a few moments, she decided to use a different approach. "Does the mirror ever speak to you?"

"…Not that I can recall, no."

"Then why do you follow its every instruction?" Yuri trickily asked. Xander turned to look at her; she was smiling.

"What?" Xander asked, confused.

"Well, the mirror must be telling you where your imperfections lie if you hold so much importance in it." Yuri replied slyly.

"That was harsh." Xander replied, slightly hurt.

"Well then, maybe you should stop paying so much attention to it, and maybe a little on the rest of us." Yuri replied. "I'd like to spend a little time with you, maybe even bake some pies with you…but you're attached to that mirror like it's some sort of religion."

"I'm sorry that I care about the way I look!" Xander replied angrily. "I'm sorry that I like to look good, or that I feel good when others think I look good! It's just my thing!"

"People think you're some sort of harlot, Xander! They don't think kindly of you!"

"You don't think I know that?" Xander replied, his voice faltering.

"Then why do you play in this game if…if you know that it exists?"

"Because…because I just grin and bare it." Xander replied, seemingly creating a false tone of pride. "I am who I am, and I won't change because people have certain opinions about me. If people want to say nasty things about me…then let them. I have my good looks, and they don't."

Yuri stood up. "Mirrors do not make us. We are not the people living inside the mirrors…they don't matter. What matters is the person on the inside. Even if you looked horrible, if you were a kind and warm person, people would love you more than they do now." She began to walk out. "You care too much about you looks, and one day they will fail you. What will you have then?" She slammed the door, leaving a stunned Xander to ponder her words.

Two weeks went on in near-silence; the worst Infershia threw at them was a pack of two dozen Hideacs in the center of the forest.

"I feel like they're stalling." Vida said, staring at the target in the archery field as she fired off an arrow in the early morning hours of September the 18th. "Do you feel that way, too?"

"They're waiting for our move. They're waiting to counter a foul-up." Chip said, firing off an arrow of his own. "If they're not destroying us, they're waiting and planning. Although…their plans never take this long to tie up. The sky is overcast today."

Vida looked up. "That it is. The wind's whipping a bit hard for mid-September, too."

"I hope we're ready." Chip said.

"Well, you're all healed up, it seems…or are you just trying to pretend you're not hurt again?" Vida grinned slyly. He knew what she meant.

"No, I'm fine. I'm healed up and ready to go." Chip replied.

"Don't lie."

"No…I'm fine…I just worry that something troublesome will befall us today…" Chip said. "I think Madison mumbled something about somebody turning to dust in her sleep again."

"When's the last time that happened?"

"The day I found out Icaryia was a traitor." He replied coldly, firing an arrow directly into the center of the target.

The afternoon wasn't any better weather-wise, Yuri discovered. She resorted to tying her hair up in a tight bun to keep it from whipping around in her hood as she took a walk back to Briarwood. Xander was still asleep, and without magic, she couldn't fly one on her own.

Necrolai cackled softly to herself. "Wolzard, be a dear and let loose the Hideacs…" She whispered to the small compact in her hand which she used to communicate with other Infershia agents. She too had a bag of tricks, much like Mae used to sport, but her toys were much more on the deadly side. "Ah, this will be fun."

Chip and Vida walked in from the archery range after several long hours of target practice, only to have Clare nervously run up to them. "We've got trouble guys."

"What? Another band of roving Hideacs?" Chip joked.

"No, this's the largest group in nearly a month."

"So?" Vida said, shrugging.

"They're heading for Briarwood, and fast."

"Ooh, let's go." Madison tagged along with the trio, quickly finishing her morning tea.

Yuri, who was on the other side of the forest, was unaware of Necrolai sitting in the tree above her, and Necrolai took this to her advantage. She threw a smoke bomb down at Yuri's feet, which hissed and spit sparks along with erupting in a large ball of smoke. Yuri braced herself as Necrolai leaped out of the tree and tackled her to the ground.

"Hello there!" She shouted. "Miss me much?"

"Like a hole in the head…" Yuri replied, shoving her off.

"That can be arranged…" Necrolai crudely replied. "So, how has your visiting with the pitiful humans been?"

"Better than any given day in Infershia." Yuri replied coldly.

"Ah, as I thought you'd respond." Necrolai replied. "Remember when you were powerful?"

"It would be a mistake to assume I still wasn't." Yuri replied, tossing away the cloak to reveal a women's fall tunic and a pair of long pants. She took a defensive position.

"You're as foolish as the scum you hide behind, Vankyuria."

"My name is Queen Yuri to you, Duchess." Yuri replied coldly. "Remember it."

Necrolai lunged at Yuri, which Yuri quickly dodged and countered with a kick to her chest. Necrolai took a step back and reached in her bag, revealing a blood red whip. "I'm not going to play this game…" She said coldly. "Time to take out the trash." She cracked the whip, and thorny spikes shot up in front of Yuri. Yuri, luckily had taken a step back, and she narrowly avoided getting her shins impaled.

"I don't think so…" Yuri replied. She ran at Necrolai, dodging the random volleys of spikes as she charged. A column shot up in front of her, and she leaped over them, jump-kicking Necrolai as she landed. Necrolai grinned as she fell back; she pulled chemical grenades out of her bag and tossed them. As soon as they hit Yuri, they exploded, burning at her skin and illuminating the area in a bright light, temporarily blinding Yuri.

Xander yawned and walked downstairs, rubbing his eyes. He spotted the crystal ball and panicked; the fight between Yuri and Necrolai was being displayed. "Kiran!" He shouted.

Kiran poked his head from the stairwell. "You called?"

"Why didn't you wake me up for this?" He said, pointing at the globe.

"Clare told me to watch Nick…she said he's been stirring in his sleep…she thinks he's going to wake up soon."

"Ugh…Nick, Nick, Nick…it's always about Nick…" Xander griped as he grabbed his wand out of his cloak pocket. "Ferran Silva!" A small portal opened up beneath him, and he sunk in.

Yuri tried recovering, but she still couldn't see straight, and her arms and chest were burning. Necrolai cackled. "It's a pity that this was much too easy…" She slammed her whip against the ground, and a large wave of spikes rolled out towards her. From seemingly out of nowhere, Xander ran out from out of a tree and tackled Yuri to the ground, rolling around a few times before they stopped. The ground helped neutralize some of the corrosive chemicals on Yuri, and the sudden jolt began the effort for Yuri to refocus her eyes.

Xander crouched down and held her tightly, concealing her under his robes. "Majiiro Maagi Majika!" He shouted, turning his entire outer body in a granite shell. Necrolai gritted her teeth. "Bakamono!" She sneered, extending the length of the whip as she swung it at Xander and Yuri.

Yuri flinched as Xander leaned forwards; the sound she heard sounded like a metal gate being dragged across concrete. Necrolai swung several more times, trying to force Xander to let go. Xander winced as she continued; Necrolai finally gave up after a minute or so. Xander tried to keep himself from screaming in pain; although his cloak and skin were now comprised of stone, he could still feel the sting of the whip.

Necrolai grinned. "So you can draw blood from a stone…" Trickles of blood dripped down through the cracks in his armor.

"Please…let me go, Xander…" Yuri begged. "This is between me and her."

"No…I won't let go of you…I can't let her have you…"

"Oh, this is disgusting!" Necrolai pointed the end of her bullwhip at the two. "Uuza Meezara Zazzado!" A small Madou Circle opened up beneath Xander and Yuri, and a series of flashing black lights shot up in a spiral, sending surges of pain through the areas they shot through. They shot through the cracks of Xander's armor until they shattered the rock.

Xander stood up, still clinging to Yuri. I guess I have to do this…" He let go and took a step back. Necrolai cracked her whip and licked her fangs. "Maagi Magi Majii-whoa!" He was cut off mid-sentence by the bullwhip smashing him in the ribs, knocking him to the other side of the field and slamming him into a tree, dropping him like a stone.

"There will be no heroism here!" She shouted. "You truly are mindless…"

Yuri growled and ran up towards Necrolai.

"You are just as foolish to attack me!" She shouted. "Douza Meezara Zazzado!"

The Madou Circle opened up beneath Yuri, this time taking the form of bats as it shot up. Yuri felt within the energy, a sense of warmth and security. She knew this power. She couldn't feel the pain that should have come with the attack. She smiled. "You're the real fool here…" She held her hand up high, palm facing the sky. "Uu Ujira Uuza Ugaro!" The bat's flying pattern changed; they now flew into her body. Necrolai panicked and tried to pull the attack away, but she couldn't. The light slowly dissipated; and Yuri dropped to her knees, holding her top half up with her hands.

Xander slowly came to and sat himself up. He blinked and focused his eyes while holding his side. Yuri, not knowing that Xander was awake, focused her regained energy around herself and transformed her outfit back into her Vampire Queen uniform that Xander was much more familiar with. Xander's eyes widened as he gasped in shock.

Yuri was once again the great Immortal Queen Vampire Vankyuria; there was no need to hide or fear her sister anymore. She quickly checked her powers; she split into Nai and Mae successfully, causing the queen and her loyal reflection to grin. The duo reached into Mae's bag and grinned violently.

"You think you've got some dirty tricks? Boy, you have no idea!" They shouted. Mae pulled out shurikens with bat wing blades, Nai pulled out Uru-kun. Mae quickly tossed several waves of bat shurikens, and Necrolai merely evaded them by shadow strafing closer and closer to the duo. Nai smiled; this was exactly what she planned. Once Necrolai got within range, Mae's attack stopped, and Nai stepped forwards. She opened Uru-kun's mouth widely, revealing a mini flamethrower, which she started up. The flames shot outwards, catching Necrolai's hair and wings on fire.

"AGH! THAT STUPID HAND PUPPET!" She shouted, dropping to the ground.

"You don't like the revenge, do you?" Mae said.

"Well then, never bring the malice in the first place!" Nai added. They both laughed.

"Oh, I'm far from done…" Necrolai said, tightening her grip on her whip. She doused the flames on her, then got up, wildly swinging it and ensnaring the two in it. She then unraveled the whip, sending the two flying and rolling about across the field.

They connected and reformed Vankyuria. She looked over at Xander as she stopped her rolling. "Are you okay?" She asked. Xander gave her a disturbed look as he stood up with aid from the tree. "I guess that means 'yes'."

Vankyuria then charged, claws extended at Necrolai. She shadow strafed around the spikes Necrolai tossed up with her bullwhip, and once she got within range, she shadow strafed above Necrolai and crashed down on top of her, driving her claws into Necrolai's shoulders and face. Necrolai howled in pain for a moment or so before deciding to counter with her whip; she swung her whip and wrapped it around Vankyuria's ankle, quickly tripping her up with a flick of her wrist. She grabbed the fuzzy white mohawk Vankyuria sported as she sat down on top of her, using the short furry strip as a grip to pull her head back. Xander got up and took a few steps back.

"Xander, help me! Get her off!" Vankyuria shouted, reaching out for him.

Xander stared, unsure of what to do. "Xander, plea-OW!" Necrolai yanked harder as she stood both of them up. Xander just stared.

"…You lied to me…" Xander said softly. If not for her enhanced hearing, Vankyuria doubted that she would've heard what he said.

"I didn't lie to you…" Vankyuria replied, slightly hurt by his remark.

"You lied to us about who you were…just trying to spy on us…"

"I never lied about who I was…I was completely honest about everything!"

"If I knew you were Vankyuria, I never would've helped you!" He shouted. "You tricked us…you've betrayed us…"

"Xander, can't you see that I'm not with Infershia anymore? They're trying to kill me!"

"Then let them." He said coldly, a look of disgust crawling across as he turned his back on the fight and walked off.

"Xander, stop! Xander, please!" She shouted, trying to squirm out of Necrolai's grip. He didn't heed her call, he merely continued back to Rootcore, one staggered step at a time.

"See, Vankie? Nobody wants you, not even your little human toys…" Necrolai cackled.

"They're not TOYS!" Vankyuria shouted, tightly grabbing Necrolai's arm. With all of her strength, she flung Necrolai over her shoulder and to the ground. Necrolai smiled.

"Ah, I'm done anyways…my job here today is done." Necrolai cackled as she stood up. "If you're not with Infershia, then you're not with anyone." Necrolai snapped and opened up a teleporting Madou Circle, quickly sinking into it. Vankyuria had it in her mind to go back and try to convince Xander of her truthfulness, but she knew it wouldn't work.

The rest of the group was back at Rootcore by to time Xander returned; they had all watched the unfolding of events through the crystal ball. They all looked up from their seats as he walked in. He looked at them angrily, though not on purpose. He was having a hard time controlling his inner rage. He walked wordlessly up to his room, trying to keep from screaming at the top of his lungs.

As soon as they heard Xander toss himself onto his bed, Vida spoke up. "He's got a point." She said softly.

"I don't believe either of you." Madison said. "He should've helped her, regardless."

"But she should've told us the whole situation." Vida replied.

"No, she shouldn't have to." Clare spoke up. "We're the Mystic Force, and we help those who ask for our help and protection. We don't need a big story to justify why we should help others."

"Besides, she would have risked something like this happening here in Rootcore, while she was obviously vulnerable. We could've killed her if we wanted to, had we known who she was." Chip replied.

"Yeah…" Vida replied, looking down.

"Yeah…she risked staying here in Rootcore with us; she obviously wasn't out to get us…" Madison said.

"Well, she's been making our meals since she got here…if she wanted to kill us, the cabinet's filled with poisons, toxins, acids, and lots of other things that she could've slipped into our meals and killed us with." Clare added. The room got silent for a moment, and the silence was broken by a stifled laugh from Chip. Everybody looked at him.

"I find it funny now, thinking back…" Chip said. "Vankyuria went out of her way to cheer us all up…all the prisoners in Infershia…of course, if I knew that one was a flamethrower, I wouldn't have enjoyed seeing it as much…" Chip said, sounding slightly terrified. "Anyways…it's just…she almost seemed…out of place there. I could never figure out her purpose besides prisoner caretaker. It makes sense to me that she would leave them behind…and it makes sense that she would be so cheerful and happy…I never doubted that at all, even now. She always found pleasure in our joy…even amongst her enemies, she seemed happy to be surrounded by life…" Chip drifted off.

Do you think Xander made a huge mistake?" Vida asked.

"A big one, yeah." Madison replied. "She trusted him and he let her down."

"Should we go get her and bring her back?" Clare asked.

"Not with Xander around." Chip replied.

Xander arrived home and instantly went into a tumult. He didn't care that Acantha would have to deal with him; he just felt the need to violently explode things until he couldn't feel anything anymore. He walked in the side door to the lounge and started summoning the walls of the house to smash various things. He smashed a mirror, then the coffee table, then a few statues and half the couch; he walked along casually as the things shattered and exploded around him. Each piece that fell to the floor drained a tiny bit of emotion from him; he began stretching the destruction from the lounge to his room, taking out anything that was permanently attached to the house.

Xander slammed the bedroom door behind himself so hard that it knocked over the mirror next to the door, tossing it to the floor and shattering it. Xander walked obliviously over the broken glass to his bed, collapsing on the mattress, feeling as empty as the hallways in his house. He sighed deeply as he tried to get comfortable; no matter how he lied down, he felt completely loutish and disconsolate.

Acantha nervously transported to the end of his bed. "Master…?"

"Go the hell away." He muttered, his face buried in a pillow.

"Can I…help…you…?" She asked hesitantly.

"I'm a moron." He replied.

"How…so…Master…?"

"I…stupidly let her in…I should have known…she was Vankyuria…"

"…Yuri, the woman who cleaned up the laundry?" Acantha asked, unsure of who he meant.

"What, you couldn't tell either?" He said, looking up.

"She was such a sweet person, always singing and cleaning, and she was always so happy to see you! She didn't seem too evil to me." Acantha said. "I guess appearances are deceiving…" Acantha walked out to the balcony and sighed. "How long ago did you water this plant…?"

Xander growled in misery and slammed his head onto the pillow. Acantha had a point, after all.

Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Necrolai found herself wandering through a war-torn section. Her eyes instantly caught hold of a crossbow sitting in the middle of the field near a pile of ash. She became curious and approached the scene.

She crouched down over the ash and inspected it. She grabbed the crossbow and set it to the side of the ash, then continued to look it over for a few minutes. She then began to laugh. "Ah…what a waste."

She sighed and stood up. "Douza Zanga Mezaara." A Madou Circle opened up underneath the pile of ash and the crossbow, engulfing them in a black light. "I'll come back for you later…"

As Necrolai left, Vankyuria poked her head out from behind a tree. "That doesn't look good…"

A week went by, and nobody had heard a word from neither Xander nor Vankyuria. The group sat around the table, trying to figure out what to do with the current situation.

"Do you think somebody should go check up on Xander?" Madison asked.

"I will." Vida said. "We're best buds, he'll listen to me. He's probably just still out of it from last week."

"Really out of it; nobody in town has seen him since." Madison replied.

"You should go talk to him, Vida." Clare replied.

"Give it a shot." Chip replied, smiling.

"Alright, I'm off."

Ten minutes later, Vida arrived at Xander's house. His house had been overrun by vines as of late, and they covered every door and window on the house. Vida carefully cut through the vines around the front door, making sure that she didn't provoke a counterattack from them, as they were moving and thriving around the house. The vines dropped around the door, allowing Vida to get to it. She knocked on the door, causing it to open slowly of its own volition.

"Hello…?" Vida said, peeking in nervously. The house was still a disaster; nothing from Xander's tantrum had been touched, and the fallen and shattered oblects lied where they sat before.

Vida walked up to Xander's room, trying to step on as few objects as possible on her way there. Xander's door, like every other door, was entangled in vines. She slowly cut through them and opened his door.

The room itself looked worse than the rest of the house. Everything had been knocked over and smashed, save the bed. The bed itself, where Xander lay sleeping, was guarded by marble spikes curling over the bed like a cage. "…Xander…?"

Vida walked slowly towards the foot of Xander's bed. "Xander…? You asleep…?" Suddenly, the spikes shot back into the floor and Xander's eyes opened and he sat up. His hair was disheveled, his eyelids had developed a dark tone indicating a lack of good sleep, and his eyes were partially bloodshot.

"Whoa, geez, Xander…you look like crap…you're taking this kinda hard, aren't ya?" Vida said, walking a few steps closer.

"What are you doing here?" Xander asked in such a cold tone that Vida thought she could see his breath as he spoke.

"You've been…doing whatever…for a week. We've been worried about ya."

"Go away. I don't want to talk to anybody." He replied in the same frigid tone.

"Well, I thought I'd keep you company and make you feel bet-"

Xander leaped out of bed and, without missing a beat, choked Vida and lifted her a few inches off the ground and pulled her close, so that they were eye-to-eye. "I said, I don't want to talk. So leave." Vida struggled to peel his hand away from her throat. Xander then tossed her against the wall; she bounced off and landed in the broken glass from the shattered mirror. She pushed herself up, dripping blood from the wounds on the floor.

"You've gone completely batshit crazy…" Vida said and she stood herself up. Xander's eyes narrowed, and Vida realized that she said something wrong. "I mean…you…you're obviously not feeling well…" She began to walk away from the bedroom door and towards the balcony, where she summoned her broom to wait for her. "If you come to Rootcore, we can talk stuff over…or whatever…you know that we're here to help you…"

"I don't want your stupid help…I just wanna be left alone!" He shouted.

"O…kay then…I'll go and I'll…come back later…yeah…" Vida said, getting close to the balcony doors.

"Good. I'll show you out." The balcony doors flung open, smacking Vida to the ground. The floor beneath her then rose up like a wave, picking Vida up and surging towards the balcony. As she approached the railing of the balcony, the ground shot up, not only flinging her, but also the plant Xander had been creating, off the balcony and into the air.

The plant went flying towards Vida, and she caught it like a football, holding it tightly against her chest. She whistled, and her broom both Vida and the plant mere seconds before she hit the ground. Vida steadied herself and the plant on the broom. "Whoo, that was close, wasn't it?" She asked the plant before riding off back to Rootcore.

Vida arrived back at Rootcore ten minutes later, and Madison gasped and ran up to her.

"Did Xander…?"

"Yeah." Vida said, setting the large plant on the round table. "He was not a happy camper. I recommend not going to visit him."

"Lemme get that glass out of you…" Madison said, sitting Vida down. "Hydrae Movrum." The glass slid out of Vida's wounds and combined in Madison's hand. All of the glass combined nearly filled Madison's palm. "Why did he attack you?" Madison asked.

"Because he's gone nuts." Vida replied. "He's taken this really hard…"

"Poor Xander…" Clare said sadly as she continued mixing up the herbal mixture in the cauldron. "What's that plant for?"

"This plant…?" Vida said pointing to the giant plant on the table. "It was sitting on Xander's balcony, and we both got tossed off the balcony…I didn't want it to get smashed, so I grabbed it and brought it back with me." Vida looked it over. "It's a weird plant…"

Madison looked down at it and began to study it. "Hm…there are a lot of grafting marks on its stalk…it's supposed to be a really crossbred…something…" She nodded. "Perhaps…this is his Gift…if so, then it looks like it needs water…"

"…Gift?" Clare asked. "Isn't that when a Green Magician attempts to create a new plant?"

"Yes it is." Madison replied, grabbing a small pitcher and filling it up with water. "Hundreds of thousands of gardens belonging to Green Magicians over the millennia have been filled with their own Gifts; the gifts can only be created, at first, by the Green Magician themselves, but once there are enough of them, they spread into the wild and grow on their own. Some of the most beautiful and useful plants in existence began as Gifts. I guess that Xander wanted a plant to call his own…now this poor thing is drying out…"

Madison poured some water into it, then smiled. "I'll take this up to his balcony here at Rootcore so it can get some sunlight. No sense in trying to bring it back to Xander's house…"

Madison picked up the pot and slowly carried it upstairs, is it was both large and heavy. How Vida carried it in with her injuries befuddled Madison.

A week went by, once again in silence. September, for the denizens of Rootcore and Briarwood, had gone by almost uneventful. The leaves on the trees had begun to fall by the 2nd of October, and their brittle exteriors crunched beneath Vankyuria's feet as she walked through the forest.

She tied her scarf tighter around her neck, trying to keep some warmth under the whipping winds. She knew it was dangerous to walk alone, but she was invulnerable in this form, so she knew that it was also the safest. She sighed and took to the skies.

She flew amongst the tree branches, flying towards Rootcore. She feared her choice of destinations, but she went anyways. If they killed her, she'd always come back. She always came back…

She flew around the balconies, trying to look in. The crescent moon provided little light for her to use to look in their windows. However, she immediately spotted Xander's plant on his small balcony. The bulbs had begun to grow on it, but it was quite dry. She landed on the balcony and split up into Nai and Mae.

"Hello little plant!" Mae said, petting a bulb with her hand. "Is Xander-kun here?" The small tree swayed in the breeze as if it were shaking its top bulb in the negative. "Oh, you're alone, too…?" The tree swayed in the positive. "The other Mahoutsukai have to take care of you…?" The tree swayed once again in the positive. "I see…" Mae sniffled.

"How rude of him…" Nai said.

"He pretends to hate the things he loves…" Mae cried. "It's my fault…it's all my fault!" Mae cried, her tears pouring off her face and into the plant's pot and foliage.

"Stop it, Mae-chan, you're going to drown that poor thing!" Nai said, grabbing her shoulder.

"It's my fault that he doesn't care anymore! He doesn't care about the plant, or his friends, or even me!"

"I care about you, Mae-chan…"

"You're supposed to!" Mae shouted, causing Nai to take a step back and let go of her shoulder. "You're me, so you're supposed to care about me! You're just my reflection!"

"Don't be so upset…"

"No…I can be…" She got up and walked into Xander's room.

Vida leaned her head against the wall that her room and Xander's room shared. She had become interested in what was going on on the other side of the wall.

Nai walked in after Mae. "Mae-chan, what's wrong?"

Mae stared into the full-length mirror and saw through herself; without Nai on the other side of the mirror, there was nothing to see. She sat down and sobbed.

"There is no me." She sighed. "I want to be me again. Just me again."

"Am I…not comforting you enough?" Nai asked, worried.

"No…no, you've been the greatest friend I ever had." Mae smiled. "Just…I needed you so much as I fell into Infershia's grasps…I was so alone, so tired of being losing people…so tired of never having anybody around…I'm not afraid of being alone anymore…"

"You…want me to leave…don't you?" Nai asked flatly, sounding hurt.

"I want you to live the way you once were…and I want to live the way I was did."

"You don't want to play anymore…" Nai said, dropping her head in shame.

"There is no time to play anymore." Mae replied in a serious tone. "I want you to be safe inside the reflections, where you can never be hurt by Infershia or anyone else again. I can take the pain myself…I am the Immortal Queen Vampire, am I not?" Mae smiled.

"That you are." Nai said, crossing her hands in front of her. "So…now you are leading me. It has come back full circle after many millennia."

"It has." Mae nodded.

"I respect your decision." Nai said, stepping back into the mirror. "I will be here…always."

Nai sunk into the mirror and resumed her old position. Mae came into focus, sitting on the floor, her eyes and nose red from crying. She smiled and stood up, her reflection following her movement. She walked out and her reflection followed her silently, supporting her on her way out. Mae smiled and took her coiled hair out of the ribbons and took the little headband with the bat wing motif off her head, shaking it all about and letting her hair sit in bunches around her head. She transformed her getup into that of her Vankyuria uniform without the headpiece or skin change while keeping her sidebag; she erased the visage of the Infershian puppet queen, and rebuilt it to her liking.

She then looked over and saw Vida trying to hide on her balcony. "Hello, Vida-chan."

Vida waved meekly. "Hi…"

"Don't worry, I'm not looking for a fight."

"I know." Vida replied as she stood up.

"Nice outfit." Mae replied, referring to Vida's sleepwear; Vida wore a pastel yellow beater and a pair of baggy pink sweatpants, along with a pair of white socks.

"Oh…thanks." Vida said, scratching the back of her head nervously. "Hey um…sorry for…saying you were…evil and stuff…"

"You had every right to suspect me…I know my worthless servant did the same exact thing to you all…"

"Well, she didn't fool me." Vida smiled. "But I guess I can't be right about everybody, ya know?"

"I do." Mae smiled.

Vida nodded. "So…did you come to visit Xander…?"

"I…I don't know why I came here…" Mae replied, looking down.

"My dad has a saying…'When you're lost, your heart will bring you home.' So…welcome home." Vida winked, making Mae smile. "So…do I still get to call you Yuri, or is that a nickname?"

Mae jumped over to Vida's balcony. "Yuri is a given name. Mae is my nickname."

"Awesome."

The two walked inside, smiling. The next morning, the denizens of Rootcore awoke to an enticing smell. Clare squealed with delight and ran downstairs; she recognized the smell. She smiled as she saw Yuri downstairs making a peach cobbler. "You're back!" She shouted, scaring poor Yuri. Vida looked up from her plate of shepard's pie and smiled with the fork in her mouth.

"I found her up on the balcony last night and I invited her in." Vida said, pulling the fork out of her mouth. "She was more than happy to visit us."

"Clare? What's…Yuri!" Madison shouted, running downstairs and hugging Yuri. Yuri smiled happily and hugged back. "Your hair is so bouncy."

"I've had my hair coiled for thousands of years…of course it's going to be bouncy!"

Chip walked downstairs. "Did Clare make pie…?" He then spotted Yuri. "Oh…we found her and she's making pie…?" Chip sat down at the table and smiled. "I missed pie breakfasts."

Yuri smiled. "I'm going to go to Briarwood. I can take care of myself on the way there…okay?"

The group nodded and Yuri left. They knew exactly where she was going.

"Well, good luck to her." Vida said. "She's going to need it…"

Yuri landed on Xander's balcony, knowing full well what she was walking into. All Vida had to do was show off her face, which was sewed up and held together with gauze for the most part, for Yuri to know what he could do. Yuri didn't fear anything; she was immortal, after all.

Yuri ripped the vines down with her claws, and they retaliated and struck back, tearing through her and destroying her. She quickly regenerated, pulled Koumori-chan from her bag, and shot acid from its mouth, which quickly melted the vines. She smiled and put Koumori-chan back in her bag before kicking the balcony doors open.

She walked into Xander's room, shocked by the state it was in. She walked towards the bed, and the marble cage dropped, causing Xander to sit up and look over. Xander glared.

"Get. Out." He venomously spat as Yuri continued forwards. The ground around her shot up, slamming through her and disintegrating her. She regenerated outside of the marble cage. She shadow strafed around the second wave, but the third wave came up from behind her and disintegrated her. She regenerated right next to the bed. "I said get the hell out of here!" He shouted, lunging at her. She grabbed his arms at the wrists and tossed him to the floor.

"Get your hands off of me!" He shouted. A giant marble spike shot up and split Yuri in half, disintegrating her and dropping Xander, whose head slammed against the floor hard. Xander winced and grabbed his head as Yuri regenerated. Xander began to cry as the pain grew intense.

Yuri bent over and picked him off the ground, pulling him close. "Hit me all you want…kill me until you're worn out…but I will not leave."

"I hate you…" He said weakly as he cried and tried feebly to get away. Yuri only held him tighter.

"I hate you so much…" He sobbingly said. "You're a horrible liar…you lied to us…you lied to me…"

Yuri smiled. "I never lied. I was always honest. I told you who I was, and I never pretended to be somebody else…I was always me…"

"I want to believe that…so badly…"

"It's the truth." Yuri smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "Breathe…just breathe…relax…"

Xander dropped to his knees as he cried harder. Yuri kneeled down with him and smiled.

"I…I'm an idiot…" Xander said. "I…I…"

"Shh. Just cry…crying helps very much…it makes us all forget how stupid we are…" Yuri smiled.

"I'm sorry…" Xander finally spat out before hyperventilating. Yuri rubbed his back and sat him down on his bed.

"Apology accepted. Now relax…" Yuri kissed him softly on the forehead, leaving behind an imprint of her lips in a clear gloss. "Sleep. When you wake up, you'll feel better." Xander slowly closed his eyes and fell back on his bed. "There…much better." Yuri smiled as she tucked him in.

She went back to Rootcore to report that Xander was sleeping, and that he seemed to be feeling better. Vida smiled. "Maybe I'll go visit him tomorrow."

A week and a half went by; the 11th was an eventful day in Infershia. Midhat walked around Infershia, studying the generals that remained. There were only two left, Necrolai and Wolzard, of course.

"Are there no more real warriors left…?" He asked Wolzard in an annoyed tone. "Why haven't you proven yourself lately?"

"I fight their leader, but he's suffering from Madou Poisoning. I will not fight the rest; they are unworthy of my time."

"Madou Poisoning…? I thought their leader was a Terran!" Midhat said, waving his fan angrily.

"Their leader was from a Mahou-heavy town; from Ravenwood. It's possible that he has a partially Mysterian bloodline, and therefore capable of suffering from an overflow of the Master's power."

"I suppose…"

Necrolai walked in and bowed. "Midhat…forgive me for interrupting…"

"No need. I was just finishing up here." Midhat turned around. "Now dear, you said you had something to show me…?"

"Sir, my surprise is waiting for you in the throne room." She said with a smile.

"Oh, I can't wait…" Midhat said, laying his fan softly against his hand. "This…surprise you spoke of…sounds enticing."

The morning of October 12th was filled with elation. Clare shot up from her position next to Nick's bed, looked up at the calendar, and squealed.

She ran downstairs, cheerily humming. Yuri and Xander, who were both partially covered in various pie fillings, smiled as they tried hiding something from Clare's view. They appeared to be the only people in Rootcore.

"Xander! Good to have you back!" Clare said, running down to greet him. Yuri turned her back to Clare, her hands suspiciously behind her back. She looked over at Yuri. "Now what do you have behind your back…?"

"…Nothing!" Yuri said.

"I see a something…" Clare grinned. "Is it…a peach cobbler?"

"…No!" Yuri said defensively.

"Yes, it is." Xander replied. Yuri scowled and elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow!"

"You made me a peach cobbler?" Clare squealed. "How nice of you!" She hugged Yuri and smiled. "This is the best-"

"-day to destroy those meddlesome children!" Midhat shouted, waving his fan in the air, inciting an orgy of roars and cheers from the thousands of Hideacs above and around him. "Today, I feel magnificent! I feel strong enough to crush those pests down to the very fabric of their beings!"

Necrolai walked up beside Midhat. "What about…my surprise…?"

"Have it destroy whatever is left. Now leave my sight; this is my time."

"As you wish." Necrolai walked off back into the chambers she had confiscated from Vankyuria.

"Aw, guys! You don't have to do my chores for me…" Clare said while they sat her down in the chair at the dais. "I mean, yeah, it's my birthday and all, but…"

"No!" Madison said. "This is our gift to you! You have to accept it."

"Oh…fine." Clare said, giving a fake angry face.

The group started to clean while Yuri and Kiran took care of Nick. After an hour or so, the crystal ball turned pitch black. "Oh boy…" Clare said, standing up.

"Looks like Infershia wanted to give you a gift too." Chip joked.

"Charlie…" Clare gave a look of disapproval. "It's…never been this black before…"

"Well, let's get going and smash whatever's roaming about." Xander replied. The group nodded in approval and headed for the broom hall.

Madison, Chip, Vida, Clare, and Xander arrived on the scene, and they spotted a lone figure in the middle of Briarwood Square, hiding his face behind a large steel fan, surrounded by the charred remains of several villagers who had suffered the worst case of being at the wrong place at just the wrong time.

"Hey you!" Xander said, pointing the tips of his axe blades at the figure. "Scram, or you'll have to deal with us!"

"Oh, like a mere child is going to scare me…" Midhat looked up and grinned.

"Oh great, another wrapped up loser." Vida said. "We'll knock those bandages loose and head back before tea time!"

"Have you no respect for your elders?" Midhat said, waving his fan. "I am the High Madoushi Priest Midhat, voice and judge of the great Enma!"

"The last undead priest to face us got zapped to dust." Xander said boldly. Clare nudged Xander softly and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"I've heard of him before…but if he is who he says he is…I don't think we should be acting so brash."

"I say let's go!" Vida ran up, staff ready. "Maagi Majiiro!" Butterfly wings sprouted from her back. "Maagi Majiiro Jinga Majuna! Fairy Cyclone!" Her wand's prongs spun at hummingbird speeds, as did her wings. The wind she emitted was intense; it split the rocks close to her. The wind was focused at her staff; she grinned and aimed directly at Midhat's gut. "Kiss you ass goodbye, Bandage Boy!" The bolt of wind energy was fired at Midhat; he merely stood up and pointed the middle of his fan at the wind bolt.

"Hmph. Mejira." He said in a bored tone as he waved his fanat an arc as the bolt approached. A black wall appeared in front of him, which reflected the wind bolt straight back at Vida. The wind slammed into her, and if it wasn't for her Mystic Armor, it would've killed her. She was instantly swept off her feet, forced out of transformation and sent flying nearly fifty feet away onto the cobblestone walkway; she was down for the count. "I thought that since you've defeated so many Hideacs, that you children would be a bigger challenge."

Chip disappeared suddenly, leaving Madison, Xander, and Clare on the field. "What a coward!" Midhat shouted.

"I'll take him out." Xander said, flexing his muscles. "No undead guy'll stop me!" He ran up and grinned. "Jiruma Majuna Majika!" He slammed his axe into the ground, changing the rock to liquid around it. "Can you handle a Rock Slide?" He swung his blades upwards at an arc, sending forth several surging blades of rock directly at Midhat.

"What an amateur terraforming spell…" As he went to block it, a bolt of electricity shot out and struck Midhat and stunning him long enough to let the Rock Slide smash into him. However, both the bolt and the Rock Slide did minimal damage.

Midhat stood up and shot a death glare in the direction from which the lightning bolt came. "How DARE you strike me with my precious light…?" He stood up and aimed his fan towards the roof of the building to his right. "Mezaara Zazare!" A lasso of black light shot out, ensnaring Chip and dragging him back down to the field. "I'll teach you to use my beloved light against me…! Zazaado Mejira!" The black light flashed and sparked, wrapping Chip in a blanket of dark lightning-induced paralysis. He tried to scream, but the pain was overwhelming. "You pathetic child…you waste your energy…you know what power Dark Magic brings you…"

"Let him go!" Madison shouted. "Maji Jiruma Majika! Hurricane Bolt!" She spun her trident above her head to charge up.

"Oh, I heard about you two…" Midhat said. "Here, have your beloved Yellow Magician back!" He swung the black light lasso and swung Chip and Madison, knocking both of them to the ground, unconscious and forced out of morph.

Xander ran up from the side to cleave him in half, but Midhat stopped the blow with his fan. "What a moronic simpleton you are, thinking you can charge me!" He swung away Xander's axe and stuck the point of his fan at Xander's throat. "Mejira Zazaado!" The shot nearly decapitated poor Xander; he was flung back onto the pavement and he bounced around until he dropped out of transformation. Midhat smiled and pointed his fan's tip at Clare. "The little white lamb is left all alone…didn't Wolzard kill you?"

"No, he didn't." Clare replied, holding her staff as steadily as she could with her shaking hands.

"What a pitiful Magician you are…you're terrified of me…" Midhat grinned. "That…satiates me…" He walked towards Clare, who fired off a few ice bolts that he easily tore through with his fan. "Just give up already; I'll kill you gently."

As he reached out to grab her, a bright light shot down from the sky and appeared behind Clare, blinding Midhat. A long metal point swung from the top point of the light and pointed directly at Midhat. "Luludo Gojika Goludiiro! Prominence Flare!" A piercing beam of golden orange light burst forth slamming into Midhat and exploding on contact, knocking him backwards and to the ground. Clare turned around as the light dimmed.

The statue that once stood guard in the Temple of Divine Scripture now looked lifelike; the full bodied gold armor gleamed in the sunlight and gave the azure markings on it a distinct glow; the over-decoration made the sword-carrying warrior seem much more imposing.

"You…you…Vankyuria…killed you…" Midhat said, standing up and grabbing his fan.

"Glad to see you too, Taranis." Sungel replied sarcastically.

"Taranis is dead! I am Midhat, High Madoushi Priest and-"

"Yeah, yeah, voice and judge of Enma…I heard you give the whole deal to the Magicians the first time." Sungel said, walking forwards.

"How DARE you cut me off mid-sentence!" He went to fire off a bolt of dark lightning, but a backlash occurred, injuring him further. "Agh!" He fell to his knees. "Fine…today you win…but tomorrow, your graves will all be filled!"

Midhat was summoned back to Infershia by Wolzard's magic. Once he arrived back in Infershia, he gave Necrolai a dirty look. "Have that thing finished and ready immediately."

"It will be finished by early tomorrow." She replied.

"Good. Then deploy that thing by early tomorrow." He spat. Necrolai walked away, leaving Midhat to sneer and brood. "That bastard Sungel…I'll make sure he never sees another sunrise again…"

Sungel instantly transported himself, Clare, and all of the others back to Rootcore. Kiran was more than pleased to see his master again, and he quickly pulled him in a big cat genie embrace. Yuri meekly introduced herself by heavily apologizing to Sungel. "I forgive you if these wise Magicians have…" They then quickly revived the fallen Magicians and they all gathered around the crystal ball. Vida sighed happily and sat her hands in her palms, which earned her a look of embarrassment from Chip.

"So…tell me…how is Udonna? Is she upstairs, sleeping?" was Sungel's first question. A chill fell over the room, and Sungel found it discomforting. "…is she…okay?"

"She's dead." Chip replied in a tone which reflected the coldness of the room.

"…I see…" Sungel looked down for a moment of silence, then looked back up. "Then what of Fintan…? Did they save him…?"

"We haven't met anybody named Fintan." Clare replied.

"…Clarin…?"

"She and the other Magicians fled after they used her to raise the Gates of Infershia. It took a miracle and many lives to close them again." Madison replied, seemingly heartbroken.

"…Conall?...Branwen…?"

"The names are unfamiliar as well…" Xander replied. "Sorry."

"It's…only the five of you…?"

"Six." A voice corrected from the stairway. The group turned to see Nick standing in the robe Toby had given him for his birthday halfway down the spiral staircase.

"Nick!" They shouted.

"Welcome back to Rootcore, Nick." Clare said.

Sungel stared, cocking his head as Nick walked up to him. "You're in my chair." Nick said.

"…Have we met?" Sungel asked.

"I don't recognize you so…no." Nick replied. "Now…out of my chair."

"Well, what an interesting birthday I'm having…" Clare said, standing up.

"Have I been asleep that long?" Nick asked.

"Boy, do you have a lot to catch you up on." Clare said, wrapping her arms around Nick's shoulders.


	23. Desperation, Malice, Despair

After everybody got Nick updated on the current situation, they all shared in with a large dinner. Yuri noticed that Sungel was pacing around the dais while they were eating, and she sighed and walked up to him. Sungel gave her a look of malice, which she shook off.

"Why don't you come down and feast with us?" She asked.

"I don't need food to survive." He replied snarkily. "Besides, I'm busy thinking."

"…I see." Yuri replied. She went to walk down from the dais's platform, but stopped midway and turned around. "Don't be upset because I am here. I came in peace; I've turned my blade against my true enemies, against Infershia."

"Taranis was once my friend, my ally. He swore allegiance to Majiel right alongside me, we fought alongside each other on the field. Look where he is now." Sungel said in a tone that gave only the smallest hint of pain.

"Come down and eat. I don't need to dine either, but I still do." Yuri said. "And take that clanky suit off. It's disturbing our conversation."

"Fine." Sungel walked upstairs to the room that sat up waiting for him. Kiran jumped up from his chair and chased after him. "Wait up, master!"

Yuri sighed and walked back to her seat beside Xander. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close while smiling. "Cheer up. He's probably just grumpy from the trip here."

"Yeah, he said he came all the way from…where did you say he said?" Madison asked, turning to Nick.

"Egypt."

"Right. Egypt. That's far away."

Sungel lied down on his old bed, knocking up dust from decades of vacancy. His whole room was that way, in fact. With a snap of his fingers, the cobwebs and dust that had settled disappeared, leaving behind what many would think was an ancient burial chamber's worth of golden artifacts from lands buried in the desert sands.

Sungel smiled as he sat up. "It's good to be home." He said to Kiran. Kiran smiled and nodded as he untied the lamp from his belt and sat it back in its display set on a shelf.

"I was wondering if you were alright, what with all of the darkness that has returned…"

"Oh, I was nearly finished off by…her…" Sungel said, not sparing any malice as he spoke. His tone quickly changed back to his calm and cool tone to finish off his speech. "But she attacked me in the daytime. Never attack the Patron Saint of the Sun in the daytime." He winked. "Anyways, I summoned the top of the shrine to open and let the sunlight in, and it healed me. I've just been recovering and trying to figure out where the Magicians had set up camp. Then I figured, 'Well, wouldn't they be in Ravenwood?', so I went to Ravenwood. There was a huge group of Magicians there, but they informed me that the Mystic Force resided in Briarwood. So I rushed to get here, and that's it. Sorry it took me so long."

"Not a problem, master. We were doing perfectly until earlier today."

"I assumed as much, since there seems to be a general peace over the land." Sungel laid back and sighed. "Who is this Red Magician that they have…?"

"Oh, I've hardly gotten to know him; he was inflicted heavily with Madou Poisoning shortly after I arrived, and he's been sick ever since. But I can tell you a bit of what I know from listening to the others."

"I'd like to know anything you can tell me."

"Yes, master." Kiran bowed. "His name is Nick Russell, and he came to Briarwood shortly after the seal broke. He came from Roftwood, but I do remember hearing somebody say something about him living in Ravenwood before…I believe his sister Sylvie lives there, and he used to live with her and some surrogate family."

"Have you met this…Sylvie?"

"Yes, she was here for the festival to commemorate the Mystic Force closing the Gates of Infershia and defeating Branken. She's a bit older than him, and she's the sweetest woman…"

"I see. Continue on with the story about…Nick. What of his skills?"

"He's very good at unarmed combat…I was told once he fought Wolzard without any weapons besides his hands and feet, and he did well for a while!"

"Impressive…"

"And he's getting better at his swordwork. He's a fairly good marksman with his Terran metal devices, and he's stunning at alchemy. He created those brooms from these things Terrans call 'motorbikes'…and he's a very good artist…he hand-painted the brooms as well!"

"Most impressive…so he is as versatile as his magic…he must be a good leader."

"I've never heard of him really leading, honestly. I've heard of him co-leading with the Yellow Magician…but he hasn't really done a ton of leading on his own."

"He works with his group, not ahead of it. The mark of a true leader. He pays honor to Bridget's memory."

"Bridget, master, is still alive." Sungel sat up.

"…What?"

"The Magicians talked of their predecessors assisting them many a time…I found it interesting myself…but I guess that they are truly alive and well."

"I watched them die…how could they be…alive…?"

The night dragged on, and the denizens of Rootcore fell fast asleep. Madison once again found herself trapped in a dark reverie.

_She sat up from her bed in Rootcore. The room was dark and empty, and she climbed out of bed and walked downstairs. The stairs made no sounds beneath her feet; it worried her to know that._

_She noticed that the crystal ball provided much of the light downstairs instead of the tree's inner glow. On the table sat five small hourglasses, sitting in a circle around the crystal ball._

_As she approached the table, the crystal ball's light dimmed, and a cold wind burst through the room. One by one, the hourglasses began to smash; the one directly in front of her broke first, then went clockwise around the table. However, the fifth remained untouched, yet oddly enough, the top half was empty. She moved closer, and the first step she took made the crystal ball shatter and a clay statue sitting over the fireplace to tip over and crash to the floor._

_She heard a footstep from beside her; a spirit appeared out of thin air from the bookshelf and began to walk towards her. She stepped back as the ethereal being made its way towards the table. It took the last hourglass and turned it upside down, letting the sand pour back in. The spirit then walked towards Rootcore's entrance and exited._

_She walked and stared as the sand began to pour downwards until it stopped entirely. She made a confused face as she bent down; the sand wasn't being blocked, yet it seemed to be blocked. She turned the hourglass back over, and as soon as she let go, it tipped over on its side and rolled until it stopped moving. She tried to pick it back up, but it was stuck to the table. _

_A hand grabbed her shoulder and she looked back. The hooded figure was looking down at her, and she felt a warm feeling, familiar and pleasant. Where a normal Magician's cloak bore the Magic Circle; the cloak the figure wore bore a Magic Circle with the five points of the Saint Pentagram sitting where the names of each Magic Circle branch name would normally be, all surrounded by a redrawn Madou Circle. "Madison…?" The figure asked; the voice sounded wholly unfamiliar. A staff shot in and knocked the figure's hand away, and the two looked up._

_A dark shadowy figure stood above the two of them and the staff was retracted and was sent flying towards Madison's face…_

Madison shot up, breathing heavily. She looked around, panicking. She grabbed her bedsheets tightly, then reached for her dream journal and tried not to cry as she wrote down the details.

The morning came, and Sungel walked downstairs, his armor making no sounds of entry. He carried his sword in his beltloop proudly, and he smiled as he walked down. Nobody really saw the smile, since his helmet covered his entire face. In fact, it was almost impossible to see any flicker of skin underneath his armor unless he moved in an awkward position.

Madison was curled up tightly next to Chip; he rubbed her back as she rocked back and forth in a disturbed manner. "Is something the matter with the Blue Magician?" Sungel asked, walking over to her. Chip looked up. "I'm handling it."

"Alright." He walked away and watched the routines of the group. They all seemed to live in perfect harmony, as his own comrades once did; Udonna would always make breakfast while taking care of everybody else, Fintan would always organize the day's activities, Branwen would help Clarin clean and set the tables for the meals, Taranis would be either sweeping or sharpening his sword, Bridget would always be reading in the corner, Conway would be constantly painting, Taliesin would be practicing archery out back with Esen, and Oliver would be keeping Rootcore in prime shape and enchanting the walls for both defense and offense. Of course, Sungel looked around and saw only their shadows wandering around briefly, in hopes that their true forms would wander in and take their places. He sighed, which caught Clare's attention.

"You okay, Sungel?" Clare asked.

"Just…adjusting. It's been roughly two decades since I set foot in this place."

"Okay." She smiled. "Will you be eating breakfast with us?"

"No, I think I'm going to take a walk." He replied, getting up. He took a few steps, then looked at Clare. "Would you like to come with me?"

"If you want me to." She replied. "Let me grab my staff and cloak…"

The two left, and about ten minutes later, Madison found herself feeling a bit better from all of Chip's reassuring and back rubbing. Nick walked up to her with a smile.

"So…I heard that you've ridden a broom by yourself…" Nick said happily.

"Yeah! I was pretty good at it, too!" She replied.

"Maybe somebody will be getting something special later today, since I feel better…"

The crystal ball turned black with dark energy. "Looks like that somebody will have to wait." Nick said as he turned around. Madison started hyperventilating, which automatically signaled Chip to comfort her.

"It'll be fine, Madison…don't worry." He whispered in her ear.

"I don't wanna go…" Madison replied, nearly crying. Chip began walking the both of them out to the broom bay.

"We'll be fine…" He said, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Just have faith."

"I hope you're right…" She replied.

The town of Briarwood didn't know it yet, but chaos was about to erupt through the town. However, the only chaos that the town knew in the early morning hours was in a small tailor's shop, and this chaos's name was George.

"I told you ladies that I wanted this a size and a half bigger!" He shouted. "And this is a single stitch!"

"We only do single-stitch sewing here…" The lady at the counter said nervously.

"I asked for a combination of stitches!" George shouted.

The shouting match was ended as a black bolt of wind shot through, tossing an icy chill into the tailor's shop. The bolt struck George, silencing him and jolting him forwards. Before he hit the table be disintegrated into million of tiny white lights. The girls in the tailor's shop panicked as the door was kicked open by Necrolai. An abomination stood next to her, as the girls panicked at the sight of it.

The dirt, rock, and ash-composed creature stood tall in its genderless nature, dressing in full leather hunting gear. A full helmet constructed from a human skull and iron sat around the creature's head, the iron covering up the creature's face where the skull did not. The skull was painted with Infershian symbols, along with a Madou Circle upon its forehead, which seemed to dimly glow black and purple. Only two small slits were cut into the iron, which allowed the creature to see and for others to see its glowing green eyes. Its right arm was mangled and constructed around a black yew wood crossbow and its trigger. The creature emitted an unearthly moan as it turned its head to face Necrolai.

"Kill them all, Hunter." She replied. The creature named Hunter moaned again and quickly fired off more bolts, disintegrating the girls instantly before they had the time to hide. "Well, that was no fun." Necrolai replied.

"Let's go find more victims." The creature moaned again and walked around stiffly, like a zombie, seeking more targets with its feral senses. Necrolai smiled as she watched her golem walk down the street. "Now if only you were this useful when you were alive, you'd still be alive…"

The Mystic Force was fully morphed and flying the skies. They spotted Hunter and Necrolai from behind and decided to pull a sneak attack. They landed their brooms roughly fifty yards away to keep from being spotted. They then got ready for battle, transforming their wands into their respective weapons. The October air whipped through the alleyway, sending a chill up Madison's spine.

"It's Friday the 13th, guys…keep your guard." Vida said.

"Don't be so superstitious, Vi." Xander replied.

"Please don't call any more bad omens, Vi." Madison replied, getting nervous.

"I'm just saying…don't run under a ladder on your way to the fight." Vida replied.

The others sighed collectively as they ran out silently to surprise Hunter and Necrolai. Once they got nearly twenty feet away, Chip fired a bolt of lightning from his crossbow and struck Necrolai in the head, knocking her forwards. Hunter turned around and growled. Nick ran forwards, blade prepared to strike. Necrolai slowly tried to recover from the painful blow, leaving Hunter without orders, and therefore, defenseless. Nick leaped in the air, summoning a sheath of fire to engulf his blade. Just as he was about to drive the blade into the skull helmet, Hunter looked up, its eyes glowing. "Red…" it moaned as it raised its crossbow arm. "Die…" It moaned, firing a bolt directly through Nick's heart. He gasped, and instantly dissipated into millions of tiny red flames.

Xander stopped his own charge and gasped, as did the others. Chip quickly fired off a shot at Hunter, which ricocheted off its crossbow and struck the ground in front of Xander, which tripped him up and knocked him into the air a bit.

Hunter aimed at Xander and fired, catching him in the stomach and breaking him into millions of little green leaves which faded into nothingness before he hit the ground.

"Xander!" Madison shouted, reaching out towards the nothing that Xander and Nick had become.

Vida sprung into action. "Chip, get her out of here!" Vida shouted. "I'll hold it down here."

"Vida, no!" Madison shouted. Chip grabbed her by the arm and began to drag her back towards the brooms.

"Mom and dad told me to take care of you, Maddie. I won't break my promise…" She sent forth a howling gust of wind as Hunter fired an icy dark wind bolt at her. The two winds collided and fought for domination. Vida grunted and pushed all of her magical force forwards. "I believe in my strength, and I believe in my friends!" She shouted. "They will destroy you, even if I don't…" The black wind bolt slipped through the eye of Vida's hurricane blast and smashed her Fairy crystal, forcing her out of transformation. In her moment of being stunned, Hunter fired another bolt, striking Vida in the jugular, breaking her into millions of microscopic pink feathers.

Madison began to cry as Chip began dragging her back to their broom. "Madison, everything will be okay…"

"There were four…four hourglasses…" She sobbed, falling to the ground. Chip panicked and grabbed her other arm.

"Don't fall to pieces…not now…" Chip said, terror wavering in his voice.

Hunter stared at Chip and its eyes glowed intensely, burning away in malice as Hunter screamed in agony. A sudden burst of anger and sorrow overcame the golem, and its need for revenge took over. Necrolai grabbed the crossbow before Hunter could fire.

"Why shoot one bird through the head when you can take out two through the heart?" Necrolai grinned. Hunter's eyes glowed as it seemed to agree. Necrolai let go of the crossbow and Hunter fired.

Chip helped Madison up and pulled her close. "Madison…I promise…you're safe here with me…"

"Thank you, Char-" She stopped and gasped briefly, making Chip look up in time to see Madison, the bolt jammed through the side of her chest, just above his arm. Madison looked up as she suddenly disintegrated into little water droplets before disappearing entirely. Chip stared incredulously for a moment, shocked and in disbelief.

Hunter aimed for Chip, but Necrolai grabbed its shoulder. "Let him kill himself out of misery." She grinned.

Hunter and Necrolai left the area, leaving Chip to contemplate his actions. He dropped to his knees, holding his hands out in front of him, knowing that Madison had been there. Now, there was not a speck of her left. "Maddie…" He whimpered. He looked back at the forest, and there was only one thing that came to mind: erase. He barely got to his feet before he ran off towards the forest.

Deep in the forest, Sungel and Clare walked about. They had discussed much of what had happened after Udonna, and even though it hurt to hear of Udonna in the past tense, Sungel was pleased to know how much they all adored her before her passing.

"…You all are wonderful Magicians…I have faith in all of you. There isn't anything any of you can't make happen."

Clare stopped; she could have sworn she heard something. A whisper in the winds…a shriek of mourning, perhaps another from in front of her…the winds carried with them the cacophony of avian requiems that were coming together in a dissonant symphony of alarm.

"Sungel, if you don't mind me saying…something is definitely wrong…" Clare said. "The forest is never this active…never this terrifying…" She turned to face Briarwood.

She heard a whistling in the winds, perhaps even her name ever so faintly. She turned around and saw bright flashes of light that raced past her, and suddenly, the connection. The bolt to the forehead quickly erased her from existence in a flurry of white snowflakes. Sungel didn't have the time to turn around or scream; the bolt struck him directly in the middle of his spine and caused his body to explode into golden photons before flickering out of sight.

Necrolai smiled. "We have what we want."

Hunter groaned and began stomping towards Rootcore. Necrolai grabbed Hunter's shoulder. "No, leave the Yellow Magician alone. Let him marinate in his despair. Hearts are tastier that way…a tortured soul that wanders alone will find itself desperate for redemption…we will have him then." The two left the scene.

Chip arrived at Rootcore out of his suit and collapsed in a heap on the floor. Tsubasa woke up from his nest in the corner to see what was the matter; his poor uncle was sobbing on the floor nearby, so his first thought was to check for injuries.

Tsubasa walked around Chip once, and saw no signs of blood, nor sensed any sort of magical affliction. He bent down, trying to make eye contact with Chip. He cawed lightly, trying to get a response. Chip tried to stop crying, but he couldn't. "Go away." Chip muttered. Tsubasa flapped his wings and cawed louder; he wasn't going to go. Tsubasa bent over and dragged Chip to his chair by his cloak sleeve. Chip pushed himself up slowly. He stared at the other symbols as they went around the table; going counterclockwise from his, the order seemed to go backwards from their demise; Madison, Vida, Xander, Nick.

Chip suddenly thought back to Madison's panicking: 'There were four…four hourglasses…'

"She…saw four…she saw them die…" Chip muttered. "Why…why didn't she see me…?"

Tsubasa laid his head on Chip's lap and sighed as he sat down. He felt sad that he couldn't help out.

"Am I…supposed to be alive…?" Chip replied, looking towards the crystal ball, hoping to divine an answer. "Am I…supposed to fix this…? To…erase this mistake…?" Tsubasa looked up at him, wondering what his crazed uncle meant. Chip looked down. "Uncle Charlie is going to make everything okay. Don't worry." He said, getting up and patting Tsubasa's head.

He walked to the bookcase and began digging through the shelves, looking for any manner of book to solve his problems, to steer him towards the path of reversing this horrible tragedy. He tore books off bookshelves after a few moments as he frantically searched for a solution. As he got to the bottom of each bookcase, his hope of finding what he was looking for grew dimmer and dimmer until he came to the last shelf. There was nothing; not a spell book could restore what no longer existed. There was a book on golems; he considered using for a moment, but he neither had the will to enslave his friends, nor was there enough left of any of them for him to use any of the spells. Chip collapsed to the ground in the pile of spell books that he had tossed to the floor; he didn't think about picking them up, since nobody would be there would gripe about them being on the floor anymore.

He cried for a moment, his migraine growing steadily worse. He wanted more than anything to see his friends walk in and embrace him, but he knew it would never come. He clutched his temples and slammed the back of his head against an empty bookshelf, furthering the pain. He looked up and, with all the energy he had left in him, let loose a feral scream to dull the pain within him. Tsubasa cowered behind Nick's chair as best as he could, trying to avoid the backlash he thought would come. However, all that was left was a soft sob as Chip dropped his arms to the floor.

Necrolai sat in a tree near Rootcore, smiling. "You hear that, Hunter? He sings us a song. How nice of him." Hunter groaned happily and nodded. "He's a good singer."

Chip looked up at the spiral staircase and sighed. "Didn't Udonna used to have a small shelf in her room…?" Chip slowly stood up and took a few breaths before making his way towards the stairs. He took the time to pat Tsubasa reassuringly on the head. "Don't worry, Tsubasa…Uncle Charlie's feeling better." Chip smiled weakly as he sniffled and continued upstairs.

Chip wandered up to the third floor, the floor just above the rooms belonging to the five core branch Magicians. The walls, floor, and ceiling were decorated heavily and were painted to signal who resided in the top row of rooms; the floor was painted in dancing flames of sangria, crimson, and scarlet, the walls were lined in a blizzard with overlying lightning bolts, and the sun and the moon sat on opposite sides of the ceiling.

The main archway in front of him was lined with flames, with snowflakes stenciled in; Chip assumed that this was Udonna's room, because he remembered that Fintan and Udonna had once been married. He slowly opened the door and walked in.

The room was completely white, with a few flames painted on the walls. In the corner sat a worn infant's playpen, collecting cobwebs despite the lack of dust on it. The room itself was well maintained; Chip guessed that whenever Clare wasn't giving a history lesson, taking care of Nick, or playing with Tsubasa, she was up here dusting, waiting for the inhabitants to return. It seems almost insane for one to wish back the dead, Chip thought, but then again, that would make me insane too, wouldn't it?

He sighed and walked to the bookcase in Udonna's room, thumbing through the books. He was surprised to see so many…grey…books in the collection; so many books combining magicks of all types, and bound in leather. How to summon spirits, how to reverse curses of all kinds, how to relive events, how to…

Chip's hands stopped on a black bound book and stared at it. The bat leather binding was wrapped in purple embroidered text that he could hardly read; there were few words in this language that he knew and could properly pronounce at the drop of a silver coin, though most of it was recognizable only as other letters in the language. He attempted to read the text on the side aloud as best as he could.

"…Uu…za…Uu…Za…za…re…?" Chip said, questioning his own ability. The book's pages glowed, and the book itself flung open. He looked inside, the pages feeling soapy to the touch, like they were trying to clean him from an invisible film. He looked back at the cover page and stared at the lettering in scarlet; he could've sworn that the ink was still wet, even when he ran his finger over it and caused no smudging.

The handwriting, to him, was foreign; it clearly was too neat and prim to be Udonna's, whose handwriting was prone to be loopy and flowing. The writing was neat and orderly, yet shaky and nervous. It seemed like the words were heavily thought out, yet it seemed like the writing of them was rushed, panicked. Chip wondered why as he read the text silently.

_I recorded every spell that is forbidden to cast by mortal and Saintly hands alike. May a Madoushi never touch this binding, for the world will be in peril…I pray that you, the unfortunate reader, have enough sense to close this book. However, I know in my heart that you, who was obviously desperate enough to even consider opening this tome, will not take heed to my warning. _

_Browse if you want, but know this: your demise is at hand, should you use anything within. May it be a physical or mental decay, or the full destruction or erasure of your sense of self and your humanity, go into everything knowing that you will suffer for everything you do within._

Chip began to browse the catalogue.

He walked down to the first floor, reading each page, studying everything, amazed in the things that were considered punishable, taboo even. He sighed as he sat down with the book at the table, continuing to flip through. He noticed that some of the pages' text looked more like somebody had cleverly spilled burgundy on it, color-wise, but that the handwriting was also different; very fancy and jagged, the diagrams loopy.

He laughed; a simple imp summoning spell was punishable by a momentary loss of power, and anything larger than an adult goat was considered magic-revoking. "So if I wanted to summon a Valkirion mustang, I would lose my magic? That's crap."

He enjoyed the summoning spells, and, in a moment of curiosity, he summoned a light elemental, which appeared as a ball of pure white lightning. He felt a drain on himself, and he laughed. "Hello…do you understand me…?" He asked, poking it lightly with his Garuda crystal. A little buzzing sound that sounded like giggling happened as it floated about. "Aw, so cute…" He smiled. "You want a name?" The ball of light swirled around Chip and Tsubasa. "How about…hm…Diya?" The ball of light seemed to coo and giggle. "Okay, Diya…guard Tsubasa." Diya bowed, then floated over to Tsubasa. Tsubasa stared and cawed happily, smiling with his eyes.

Chip sighed lightly, a bit relieved to have something preoccupying Tsubasa as he read. He continued reading on, suddenly stopping and staring.

Below up sat a spell that entranced him; something unusual. The entries had all been set up in the same format: Spell Name, Saint Branch, which meant what element or Saint corresponded to the spell, Spell Words, Spell Effects, and Punishment for Casting. However, this spell lying in front of him had no such order; only a few paragraphs sat on the lone page.

Chip recognized this as the handwriting from the first page; he had found a warming comfort from this particular writer, like a sort of kinship in his witty retorts as he read through the tome. He felt as if he could relate to the delicate balance of insanity and desperation that came from his writing. He began to read with a smile on his face.

_The Reversal Spell (Goolu Uuza Lujuna Majiine) is a personal creation of Chronojiel for her own purposes. It's unsure why, with all of her time magic, why she would need this sort of spell. There isn't much to say about this spell, other than its name, and its implications of reversing time itself. _

_Because nobody has ever used it (Chronojiel is very protective of her spells, which is somewhat unfair, I know…but not all of us know how to share), it's unsure what it does, or what kind of punishment or sacrifice is to come with its use. But, knowing that it belongs to Chronojiel implies greatly that anyone using it is doing so knowing that she, in her inflexible and vindictive nature, will take revenge of any sort. _

_I guess this would be the time for me to chuckle at the thought that Mother Time is a bitter old hag who never learned to share her toys…_

_But I must admit to the things I do not know (although there is little I can say that about…), and since I could never get Chronojiel to admit to me what this spell does…I can't make any sort of warning against this, nor can I condone even deciding to try it out. However…if you're reading this tome, I'm guessing that you are either a sick, morbid individual who's probably laughing at my comments, or a deprived soul trying to bend the hidden magical energies around you a bit more than others, probably for some noble reason (although, if you're a Madoushi, this is most likely not the case. You accursed and soulless Madoushi…I hope Enma enjoyed eating your black heart…)…I hope that it's a noble reason. The last thing the world needs is a dimwit with this book causing towns to disappear with Time Magic…_

Chip stood up and grabbed a traveling bag, tossing a few muffins in. Tsubasa stared at him.

"Diya, escort Tsubasa out." He said. Diya 'bowed' and ushered the crying Tsubasa away. "Wait." Diya stopped, and Chip walked over to Tsubasa and kneeled beside him. He stroked the top of his head lovingly and smiled. "I want you to go outside and be safe…I'm doing this because you are the only person left that I care about, and if anything were to happen to you, I wouldn't know what to do. I want you to remember that I care very much for you, that we all have, and that you are strong-willed and capable of carrying on without us, as much as that disturbs me to think about it." He tightly hugged Tsubasa around his neck. "Go. Go with Diya. Diya will protect you and guide you out of harm's way." Tsubasa squawked and nuzzled Chip. "I love you, take care." Tsubasa squawked back, emulating the sounds of "I love you" back before Diya began leading him out.

He waited nearly five minutes after Tsubasa and Diya left before looking back down at the book. "If I fix everything with one spell…I'd gladly suffer. Even if I die and they live…there would be no greater joy…" He looked down at the text one last time, took a deep breath, then pointed his wand at the floor. "Goolu Uuza Lujuna Majiine."


	24. Rewind, Forward, Stop, Replay

Beneath him, a large grey circle decorated in briar branches and arcane symbols glowed beneath him, becoming brighter. Everything outside the circle's wall seemed to shift out of focus, as if it were spinning counterclockwise. After nearly a full minute, the spinning stopped and the circle faded. The world around him was dark and tinted black; the sun hadn't come up yet. He looked around, tucking the book into the travel bag. Footsteps, frantic in nature, began pounding upstairs. Chip darted for the blind spot below the stairs. Another pair of footsteps were roused by the first, and the two pairs of feet rampaged across.

There was a sudden muffled scream, then the pair was dulled to a softly moving set of feet. He recognized the scene as he heard the muffled cries.

He looked out and saw himself gently carrying Madison to the couch by the fireplace.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"There was a person, and there were broken things, and I got worried…"

"It was probably something you ate before bed."

"I wanna believe that…believe it so much, Chip…"

"Well, we just have to make sure…we don't…break anything today."

Chip found it entirely awkward to watch this unfold from afar; however, he didn't have the time to sit around.

He knew he had to act perfectly undetected. He waited until his past self was comforting Madison before he began to move, darting for the door on tiptoes. He tossed up his hood and ran for Briarwood once he had left.

Chip went up to the top of the Briarwood Clock Tower, using an Advanced Senses spell to look around for Hunter and Necrolai. He spotted them approaching the town and he grinned. He transmuted his wand into a bow, and his Archer Brace conjured a lightning arrow automatically. He waited for Hunter to stop moving with its back to him before properly aiming. "Aim for the button on the jacket…" Chip muttered to himself as he focused his shot. He let loose the arrow, and it arced perfectly.

"May my blow cause you to know the suffering I have felt…" He said as the arrow reached its target. The arrow shot straight through the shoulder blade; crushing Hunter's rotator cuff and diving into the axillary artery, sending lightning through the area, burning through the wound. Hunter cried out in pain as Chip began to flee the scene. Hunter's crossbow arm fell dead at its side. Necrolai turned around and searched the area for any signs of life.

"Who shot that?" Necrolai shouted. Once she found that there was no signs of any shot she screamed and shook her fist at the tower. "Come out, you coward!"

She grabbed caustic grenades out of her sidebag and tossed them high up into the air, letting them explode around the tower and the general area.

The roofs exploded around Chip as he ran. One bomb exploded nearby, tossing the ground beneath his feet around and knocking him up into the air, plummeting towards the alleyway below.

Chip was about the hit the ground when a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and pulled him upwards.

"I know you like to be adventurous, Charlie, but this is truly pushing the limits." Yuri replied as she pulled him up above the rooftops. She fixed her grip on him and began to double back to Rootcore.

"Can you fly low?" He asked, concerned of being spotted.

"With Necrolai around, it's always good to lie low." Yuri replied with a smile, baring her fangs happily. Her grey scarf fluttered in Chip's face, and the scent on it reminded him of the strange Terran holiday he had seen once that they called Christmas, where everybody was happy and they all gave each other gifts in boxes. He closed his eyes and thought about the sights he had seen until his feet touched the ground. "We're here, so you can open your eyes now." Yuri said.

Chip, still under the influence of the Advanced Senses spell, heard footsteps from inside. He panicked and tackled himself and Yuri out of the way as he watch himself and Madison run out of Rootcore. Yuri looked back and forth, then back and forth once more. She then gave Chip a confused look. It was then she noticed the book. She took it from the bag and looked at it. "Oh…this book…" She said, closing it. "…You used this?"

Chip frowned; he felt like he was being scolded. "I heard many things about this book…how many people wanted it…Wolzard most of all…he desires this and another thing…though if you asked me what the other thing was, I have forgotten after so many years…" Yuri digressed. She suddenly found herself once more and continued to scold Chip. "This book will devour your soul…" She looked upset and scared at the same time. "You leave me no choice…I will stay with you and pick up whatever is left of you when all is said and done." She picked him off the ground and dragged him inside as he dispelled the Advanced Senses spell.

Inside, everybody else was still asleep, which allowed for nobody to interrupt them. Chip walked forwards, away from Yuri. The moment he stepped in the spot where he had arrived back at this time, Yuri stopped moving. He found himself walking into a wall, a circular wall. He looked down; the grey ring with the briar branches appeared under his feet. He pulled his cloak tightly around him as he looked up.

A woman stood in front of him; she wore a plain silver tiara upon her head with the sign of Saturn in the center; her long white hair touching the floor, right along with her long white and silver sari. Her eyes were whited out, and her face was hidden behind a white veil. Her staff was ornate; a silver staff was intertwined with grey briar branches, with the branches slowly arcing backwards until they pointed outwards and dropped back downwards. Sitting on top of the briar branches was a silver daisy which was attached to the inner staff, and in the middle sat a sundial. She stared at Chip, or at least he felt like he was being stared at.

"So…a lowly child wishes to use my time…?" Chronojiel 'spoke'; her voice seemed to only exist within his mind, and they were spoken in his inner voice. He was unsure whether it implied that she had no voice, or that she was just playing mind games with him.

"I did it because-"

Chronojiel help up her hand, silencing him. "I want no reasoning. You stole something that belongs to me and me only."

"I did it to keep Infershia from slaughtering everybody mindlessly!" Chip shouted.

Chronojiel cocked her head slightly. "Should…I care?" Chip gave her a confused look.

"You should. Don't you care about human life?" Chip seemed surprised by her response; half because it was unexpected, half because hearing his own inner voice say it was not as uncommon as he knew it should be.

"Humans mean as much to me as Hideacs do." She replied. Chip felt repulsed. "You all live and die the same. I still make you all dance in my ballroom…" She sighed. "But you…you're a fickle dancer…you always are…I've been told to lie out your chair many times…you never sit out a song…" She looked sad.

"What…?"

"Why do you waltz with Malice and Misery? Why not Joy and Happiness? You refuse to dance with either of them, no matter how they try to cut in…" She sighed again. "You're a hopeless case in everything. Why do I bother asking about your dancing habits…?"

"…Dance? I don't dance; I've got two left feet."

Chronojiel sighed. "Out of your ignorance and sarcasm alone, I could easily find reason in laying judgment on you."

"Judgment?" Chip was afraid to know what she meant this time. He was hardly following her logic as it was.

Chronojiel then stood up straight and slammed her staff against the ground. The tone in her voice became severe and imposing. "So you have moved improperly through time…and thus, I shall prevent such moves from ever happening again…" She aimed her staff at the floor and snickered. Chip looked down as the grey light grew brighter until it was all that Chip could see.

Yuri stepped forward as if something had been holding her back before. In an instant, Chip had drastically changed standing positions. He stood now, cloak surrounding him, staring at the floor.

A door swung open, footsteps raced across the floor upstairs as they rushed down to the bottom floor. Yuri looked up; déjà vu overcame her. It was early morning once again.

Madison charged down the stairs, gasping for air as she hyperventilated. She looked at Yuri and Chip, and decided to go cry to Chip first. He hadn't even turned around to notice her. Yuri cocked her head in confusion as she too walked up to Chip.

Madison fell to the ground in front of him, garnering no response from him. Madison felt awkward and grabbed his arm; it was stone cold and inflexible. She pulled herself together and stood up. "Chip…?" She stared into his eyes; his gaze was distant and unmoving, eerily focused on a point on the floor a ways back. She blinked, and for the moment her eyes were closed, she envisioned the last hourglass tipping over on its side and rolling. She gasped and stepped back. Yuri's eyes widened.

"This is the punishment…" Yuri muttered.

Out in the forest, a blue swirling light sat between two trees, ominously calling out that not all was right. There was something stirring within it, and it stepped out slowly. A leather boot hit the ground, the bottom of the robe swishing out in front of it. The hooded figure stepped out entirely and looked up. He smiled for a moment, then continued forwards. Then, one by one, a group behind him, all wearing matching grey uniforms, emerged.

"Wow…it's dark out…" The shorter of the two male group members said. "And so many trees…the air is so fresh…"

"And there's tons of bugs, and no showers…" The shortest of the three female group members replied.

"Could be worse." The medium height female said, flashing a smile. "Mr. Gung Ho could still be in charge." The taller male flashed a dirty look, and the female smiled back.

"Yeah, because god forbid we have any sort of, ya know, plan, or idea, or discipline…" He snarked.

The tallest female, who looked somewhat like the now agitated tall male, sighed. "Alright, Bird Man, what's the plan in hand…man?"

The hooded figure turned around and gave her a smile. "Your use of poetry is alluring."

His smooth and rich voice seemed to suggest that he was taking a larger interest in her. The shorter male glared at him as he slowly let his right hand drift towards his left. The tall female quickly countered by grabbing his wrist, stopping him.

"Well, what's the plan?" She asked again.

"We'll set up camp and start making a plan and then…we'll put it into action."

"I'm starting to actually like you…" The tall male said. "Where do we set up camp?"

"About thirty feet north of here." The hooded figure replied. The group nodded and followed him as he walked.

Necrolai and Hunter sat in the forest, Chip's attack still causing Hunter a massive amount of pain. Necrolai tried to heal the wound as best as she could, but the light energy he had fired into Hunter remained, and so did the prolonging damage.

"Hunter, do not let this wound prevent you from your fate. The Magicians are fools if they think a little Madou will stop us from killing them…" She then stood up. "That's right…he used Time Magic…I wonder what his curse was…" Necrolai smiled. "This injury may not stop us after all…"

Back at Rootcore, Yuri had already removed the book from Chip's possession, and Madison was racked with guilt. She found it difficult to move his body from its position at first, but she managed to get him into his chair with Yuri's help. The more they moved him, the more malleable he became, so by the time Madison sat on his lap, she could easily wrap his arms around her. As cold as he was, she still felt a sense of security and warmth.

Yuri looked up and sighed; she could relate to events that came only the month before. She looked back down at the book, trying to find some sort of counter-curse, some sort of antidote, anything to help Chip. Sadly, not a word spoke of a way to reverse the curse.

The rest of the group had walked down to begin the morning, unaware of the situation. Sungel, however, knew exactly what had happened the second he walked downstairs.

"What's going on down here?" He barked, still wearing his armor. Clare turned around and gave him an awkward look.

"We're not doing anything…" Clare replied.

Sungel looked over Yuri's shoulder, then shoved her out of the chair and onto the floor. Everybody looked up, except Chip.

"How DARE you open this tome?" Sungel bellowed. "I KNEW you were nothing but trouble!"

"I am not trying to harm…" Yuri shouted in her defense, nervous. "I am trying to help!"

"Who? Enma?" Clare and Yuri gasped at the use of the name.

"She's trying to help Chip!" Madison said, standing up out of his grasp. His arms stayed in place, and Vida stared at the situation.

Chip was insane a great deal of the time, in Vida's mind, but not in the way he was now. She walked up to Chip and poked his arm, which moved slightly and was cold to the touch. She then kicked him in the shin, getting no response. "Chip's broken in the head." Vida said observantly.

"He is more than broken in the head…" Yuri said, standing up and brushing herself off. "He is cursed. Cursed by Okaa Jikan…"

"…Who?" Clare asked.

"Okaa-san…" Yuri replied. "Well, not your okaa-san, maybe…or perhaps yes. She is the okaa-san of everyone."

"What is an…'okaa'?" Xander asked, walking up beside her.

"Okaa…is the one who gives you life…the woman who does…I think the other word is…mother…"

"The 'Mother of All'…?" Sungel said, worried. "You mean…?"

"Chronojiel, yes." Yuri replied. Clare gasped.

"Why would anybody, especially Charlie, be using Chronojiel's magic?" She said, panicked.

"What caused him to do it is the real question, young one." Sungel replied, calming down. He knew he couldn't let his fiery temper get the best of him.

Yuri looked around. "None of you remember?"

"Should we?" Madison replied.

"You should…because I do."

"We obviously have no clue what you're talking about, hun." Xander said.

"Perhaps it is because of the fact that you were all dead when he first cast the spell…you can't remember what you weren't alive for…"

"We died?" Nick asked. "I'm pretty sure I'm alive now, so…"

"What happened to us?" Clare asked.

"A golem. It slaughtered you all…don't you remember?"

"A golem…?" Sungel asked.

"A Lich Golem. A golem made from the dead and additional things needed to fully recreate a body." Yuri replied. "It was created from the remains of my old servant…her and the heave-y Juusatsu Bowgun that I gave her…"

"Morrigan…?" Clare asked.

"Icaryia." Vida replied bitterly.

Yuri sighed and took a thinking pose. "I wonder…if I still have my memory…what other things did not go back to normal…?"

The crystal ball glowed black. The group all looked at the crystal, and Yuri turned to Xander. "Xander-chan, I am fairly uncertain whether or not you would fair well in this fight…the Golem is made mostly of rock and dirt."

"I'll handle it, hun. I'll fight fire with fire….or…in this case, earth with earth."

"No, I'll go alone." Sungel replied. "I'll check this all out."

"Alright." Clare said. "The rest of us will formulate a plan for everything else."

Out in the forest, the group of mysterious travelers had set up a camp and began to draw out a plan.

The shorter of the two grey-suited males had pulled out a rectangular device which set up a detailed map of Briarwood and the surrounding area of trees which also included their position, highlighted with a white light, all in a 3-D hologram. "Now who here thought this was a bad idea?"

"Aw, you're such a genius." The taller of the females said, hugging his arm and smiling. "That's why I love you."

"Alright, enough, you two. Let's focus here." The other male replied.

"Hey, just because you don't have a girlfriend, doesn't mean you get to smite our happiness." She shot back.

"Ooh, burn." The other two girls added.

"Does somebody need a nap?" The female commented. She gave a cute look and scooched up next to the tall male. "Is ickle Schuyler tired from being so grumpy all the time…?" She asked in a mocking tone as she grabbed his cheeks. He pushed her off, making her bounce off the ground, making a red light flicker between her and the ground as she hit it. "Really, bro, you need to chill."

"'Chilling out' is something we can do once we've closed this wormhole up." He replied. The female stuck her tongue out at him, then turned back to the 3-D model of the area.

"Anyways…would you mind showing us around town on this map?" The shorter males asked their hooded companion.

"Not a problem." He replied as he stared at the map. He poked it, and seemed confused. "What sort of magic is this?" He asked, poking again.

"It's not really magic…it's just a segment of the map I installed into my morpher." The shorter male replied. "It's one of the billion things I added to mine and Stella's."

The tallest female held up her 'morpher', opened it up, and spoke into the speaker on the second set of flip screens. "Thank you, my love." She said. She then held up the device and pressed another button. "Merci beaucoup, mon amour." It spoke back in her voice, perfectly accented.

"Amazing." The hooded figure removed his hood and began inspecting the map. "Well, it's hard to make a plan, since the timeline itself has been affected…but I can almost guarantee that they will be in this area-" he pointed to an area near their location, roughly 400 yards southwest of their current position; the location was almost the same distance away from Rootcore. "some time this morning. I'm unsure of how much things have been tampered with here…but I'm sure they'll retreat here or set up a trap here. It's not unlike Necrolai to do such a thing…"

"Then we'll go there." Stella replied. "Sky, Bridge, Z, Syd, new guy, let's pack up and get going!" She said, standing up. The shortest female walked up to their hooded companion as they began to move.

"I love your hair. Is that all natural?" She asked him.

"Yeah." He replied. "Why do you ask?"

"I've never seen such a bright amber like that before…I thought maybe you used highlights."

"I've no time for self-improvement…"

"Your skin's naturally like that, too? Wow…"

"Flattery gets you nowhere…" He smiled. "Of course, I'll keep in mind that you think I'm charming." He winked. She gave him a look to suggest that she found him comical, then moved ahead to join the rest of her group. He frowned. "Ah, so I'm not charming. I get it."

Sungel ran into the forest, sword in hand. He allowed his natural ability to detect dark magic heighten, and he quickly locked on to the enemy; their energy radiated outwards, making the normally cool fall air feel like the dead of winter around him. He ran towards the growing cold in front of him, and he dropped it once he saw Hunter and Necrolai.

Necrolai knew he was coming, and she quickly summoned a group of Hideacs to delay his arrival.

Sungel smiled. "I'll fix this quickly…" He raised his sword to the sky. "Goolu Golu Goludiiro!"

A mirage of the golden desert sands surrounded him, and from behind him, the sun began to rise. Once it sat directly over the sword, it was at high noon. It shot down five heavenly beams of sunlight which, when they hit the ground, formed the Saint Pentagram. A wave of sunlight coursed through the gaps in his armor, turning blue and skintight. The next wave transformed his armor into a more battle-ready armor, and turning his normally white cape into a red one that touched the ground. His headpiece was transformed into a shiny gold helmet with a black visor and his trademark insignia at the top.

He gruffly tossed his arm down, touching the blade to the ground, then driving it into the ground. He reached upwards, and the ball of sunlight began to descend. "Shining As The Sun!" The ball of light fell into his hand and he clenched it tightly, absorbing the energy into his body, causing his armor to glow brightly. He grabbed his cape and his sword; he pulled his sword back in an arc until the tip pointed behind him as he pulled his cape in front of him to cover a good portion of his body. He then tossed his cape back, making it flutter as he shifted his right leg forward a bit and swung the blade forward so that the tip was pointing forwards, as if threatening whomever was in front of him. "The Heavenly Saint Warrior, Solar Knight!"

He placed a hand to his chin as he saw the force in front of him. "Hm…I'm heavily outnumbered…I'd be incredibly susceptible to being surrounded…ah!" He drove his sword into the ground and held his sword hand up. "Goo Luludo." A golden light shone in his hand for a moment, and the lamp Kiran carried around appeared. Sungel bent the handle down, waking its inhabitant.

Kiran popped his head up. "Ah! Good morning, Master Sungel!" He said.

"Are you ready for battle?" Sungel asked, looking down.

"Of course!" Kiran exclaimed as he dove back into the lamp. "I'm always ready to battle Infershia!"

"Here we go!" He ran his hand over the spinning disc in the middle of the lamp, siphoning a minute fraction of his magic energy from himself to his lamp. The spinning of the disc increased the magic energy with every revolution, but the more times it was spun, the more magic Sungel had to put into it.

He spun the disc five times and pointed it forwards. "Goo Golu Gojika! Mystic Lamp Barrage!" He pulled the trigger on the handle, unleashing a flurry of sun magic beams out into the crowd of Hideacs, tearing through and incinerating whomever it struck. The Hideacs screeched and continued to charge. He fired off another Mystic Lamp Barrage and blasted through more.

The Hideacs that came within range, although lucky that they avoided the intense sun magic blasts, found themselves running headlong into Sungel's deadliest range. Sungel quickly tossed the Mystic Lamp into the other hand, then pulled the blade from the ground. He then cut through the Hideacs that were left like butter, dropping the dozen or so survivors like flies.

He walked forward towards Necrolai and Hunter, not knowing that he wasn't the only person pursuing them.

The group of travelers and their mystic escort were roughly fifty yards away from their target. Stella was the first to notice Sungel up ahead. "Hey, who's that guy?" She said, stopping and causing the rest of the group to stop with her. Bridge looked and took his left glove off, waving it front of him. "Hm…" Bridge mused as he put his glove back on. "Well, the guy in the suit seems to be a good guy…he's got this intensely bright gold aura, and there's no way in hell a bad guy's ever gonna have that kind of aura." He replied. "I also got the auras of the others…the bat lady's got a definite black aura…it gave he a chill up my spine, it's so evil…but the other person has the weakest aura ever…it was crimson. Definitely not good, either."

"So, what do we do?" Z asked their hooded companion.

"Prepare an assist…Sungel should know what he's doing…but just in case…" He replied. The five reached for their basic sidearms. "We'll just pepper them a bit for cover fire if things get heavy. I'll keep watch and signal you." A thick black cloud swirled around him for an instant, then both him and the cloud disappeared. The group looked around in shock.

"Where did he go…?" Stella asked. She saw his cloak up in the trees and silently pointed. The group looked up and nodded as he winked at them.

Sungel approached the duo and pointed his sword at them. "Surrender, Necrolai, Duchess of Vampires, or I will be forced to destroy you!"

"Like you've tried many times before, foolish Solar Knight?" She said, standing up. "You're the stupid Saint, aren't you?" She pulled Hunter up. "Kill him." Hunter began to try and lift its arm, but a shockwave of pain from Chip's attack caused it to howl in pain and drop its arm to its side. Necrolai glared. "Do it!" Hunter tried again, and the same thing happened. Necrolai became frustrated and picked the arm up herself. "Now fire!" Hunter couldn't concentrate due to the massive pain in its arm, and Necrolai's confusion gave Sky enough time to aim a shot and fire on their companion's order. The shot struck Necrolai's left arm, which was holding Hunter's arm up from the bottom. She cried in pain and dropped the arm.

She summoned a group of Hideacs to attack Sky and his crew, and her summoning gave Sungel enough time to strike. He sliced the crossbow half of the arm off, which terrified both Hunter and Necrolai. Necrolai panicked, and quickly retreated with Hunter back to the Hellpit.

The Hideacs began to charge Sky's crew. "Alright, team! Defensive positions!" He shouted. Bridge, Z, and Syd stood behind Stella and Sky. Stella gave Z her firearm, which was quickly put to use once Z split in two. Stella and Sky then quickly threw up shields, red and blue respectively, preparing to repel the attackers. Bridge, Syd, and both Z and her copy all began firing upon the Hideacs, taking them out slowly. Their companion changed his wand into a crossbow and fired a water bolt into the crowd, drenching a large majority of them before firing a lightning bolt and frying them.

"Wow, he's good." Bridge said.

The hooded archer continued his process, as did the group below until there were no Hideacs left. By the time they considered assisting Sungel in whatever he needed, he had left.

"Well, there goes hooking up with the good guys…" Z said as she pulled herself back together. Their companion quickly shadow strafed back to the group.

"Well, we could go visit them where they're living…but I'm sure they don't want visitors…"

"Why wouldn't they want our assistance?" Bridge asked.

"Yeah, I mean, we're much more advanced than they are, no doubt." Z stated.

"We're from a technologically advanced organization; we have everything they need right at our fingertips. Why wouldn't they want that?" Stella added.

"Technology isn't everything." The hooded companion replied, walking out onto the field.

Sungel arrived back at Rootcore and dropped out of his battle armor, dropping back to his normal Saint Armor. The rest of the group cheered as he walked in; Vida jumphugged the Warrior Saint.

"You were awesome!" Vida shouted. Sungel stared at her as he began peeling her off.

"Uh…um, thank you…?" He was unsure to reply to Vida. Vida nodded happily.

Madison was still depressed, and everybody could tell. "What about Chip…?"

Sungel sighed as he looked over at the still-frozen Chip. "I don't think there is anything we can do for him…but I will try. I will go to speak with Chronojiel and see if I can come to some sort of terms."

"I'm sure you can!" Vida said happily.

Sungel nodded and walked up to his room, where he prepared to perform his long-distance teleportation spell. Vida sighed happily, and Nick gave her a look.

"Vi, did you start taking drugs this morning or something…?" He asked.

"No, why?"

"…Nothing…"

The group of travelers and their companion walked out into Briarwood and began to look around to get a better feeling of the area. The group of five quickly decided to blend in, so their companion happily bought them a set of color-appropriate Terran cloaks and hats. "You don't have to pay me back…consider them gifts for helping me."

They wandered around the shopping area, and the hooded traveler found discomfort in seeing that the Viner Street Bakery was closed. "It must be rough today."

Bridge and Stella dragged the others into a flower shop and began gawking at all the various flowers they had never seen before. Syd bought a few flowers for herself, to which their companion added a few of his own. "Aren't they lovely? They reminded me of you." She gave him an awkward look, and took them anyways. "They'll look nice with the rest of them, I guess." He felt a bit hurt, but there wasn't any harm in trying.

As they left the flower shop, their companion felt a cold air drawing nearer from the forest. "I say we head for the rooftops." He commented.

"How do you propose we do that?" Sky asked.

He grinned. "Well, I DO know one way…but you may have to stand back a bit." They spread out behind them. Syd noticed the embroidery on the back of his cloak; it was a gothic pastel pink angel wing, outstretched and dropping two white feathers. "How lovely…" He turned around and smiled. "Isn't it a lovely symbol?" He asked as he fully turned to face them. He then grabbed his cloak and tossed it off as black clouds surrounded him and pushed back, taking a different form entirely. Once they cleared away, he was unrecognizable.

Bridge couldn't hold back a comment. "…It's feathery." Stella laughed, and Sky glared. Z gave him a funny look.

"Alright, let's get the heck out of here!" Syd said, beginning to climb up onto their companion's back. He knelt down to accompany her lack of height. "Thanks." She said as she climbed on.

After the rest of the group had taken their own spots, they took off for the skies.

Back at Rootcore, Madison refused to sit around and wait for Sungel. She began trying to figure out what to do from the numerous volumes of texts surrounding them.

"Madison-san, I can assure you that there is no way to reverse this curse in any of these books." Yuri said.

"I'm not looking for a cure…" She said. "I'm looking for a way to find him."

"What?" Clare asked.

"He can't be fully gone…he's not dead, right?"

"Well, no, he's not dead…"

"Then his spirit is somewhere! I plan on communicating with him…maybe he could tell us something…maybe give a full explanation…I don't know…"

Xander sighed solemnly and walked upstairs. Madison continued rummaging through books for the next few minutes until Xander tapped her on the shoulder. Madison looked up; Xander stood above her, holding his crystal ball and its pillow in his hand.

"Here." Xander said, slowly handing her the crystal ball. "This is an heirloom, so treat it with care."

"Why are you giving me this?" Madison asked, gently setting it on the table in front of her.

"Focus in his energy. Then project yourself. You'll find him, I promise." He said with complete confidence. Madison had never seen Xander so serious before.

"Okay…" Madison replied. She closed her eyes and searched her thoughts and feelings for Chip's energy. Xander nodded for the rest of the group to leave and return to Briarwood.

Sungel arrived inside a large grey clock tower covered in briar branches. Chronojiel's symbol graced the main hall's marble inlay, and a pair of staircases formed a giant double helix upwards into Chronojiel's lair. He began to make his way up in a dignified manner, knowing that being respectable and dignified would only help his cause.

Madison finally locked onto Chip's energy, and she pointed her wand at the crystal ball as the world he was in clearly shone in the crystal ball. "Maagi Magi Majiine." She said. Her body glowed blue, then the aura around her flowed into her wand and into the crystal ball; her body slumped forward, lifeless.

The world she entered was grey and cold; the sky matted in dark clouds. A forest lay to the left of where she had arrived; the land below the cliff contained villages on fire, towns in ruin, and small outlying huts. Far away sat a mountain range, and on the other side was a giant oak tree; Madison realized that she was she was on the Mysterian side of the forest, or at least it seemed to be. Things seemed exaggerated, terrain-wise, especially the size of Rootcore from so far away. Everything had no real feeling; only what her mind told her was real seemed and felt real. "This is not Mysteria…it's only a dream…" She said to herself. For a moment, the world seemed to react to the statement, further proving this to her. "Does this mean…Chip is stuck inside his own mind…?"

She decided to test her theory. She leaped off the cliff and she quickly found herself at the bottom, unharmed. "I'm right." She smiled. "This place is a Dream World…" She began to shudder at the thought. "I can see why he doesn't sleep much."

As she continued towards the forest, the world around her began to collect a brighter color scheme. The leaves changed from the shade of green used in camouflage cloths, to a color more like the color of the sea floor. Owls hooted overhead as she walked, and a cold breeze that only came in winter blew around her. "Is this really his world…or does he merely exist within it…?" She wondered aloud.

She approached an open field that was covered in a thick blanket of snow; three deep indents were shoveled into the ground, and many several corpses were wandering around; most of them had red hair and were heavily mutilated. Ghosts floated past her, giggling. "Welcome, Madison." They whispered in disembodied voices before floating off.

Far in the back, she saw a figure with its back to her, its head hung low. Madison walked past the corpses and approached the figure. She reached her hand out, and a bloodied hand grabbed hers. She jumped and pulled away, causing the figure to laugh. "What, are you squeamish, or just shocked?" The voice was both mangled from wounds and clogged by blood. The figure turned around; it was Chip's corpse. Madison gasped and gagged. "What were you expecting? A male supermodel?" He joked.

"Are you…?"

"Dead? Yes. Real? No. Well, not in the world you exist in. I only exist here, where Charlie holds me hostage and robs me of sleep. The man won't let me sleep, I tell ya!" He laughed at his comment. He seemed almost…too jovial…to be Chip.

"Why are you here…? Why are all of you here?" Madison asked.

"Seriously, he refuses to let us go." He replied. "I tell him, 'Charlie, leave, you're not dead.', but he never listens. I tell him he's not dead, you tell him he's not dead, we're all asking him to let us get some rest…he's just so attached to us being here." Chip's corpse sighed as he crossed his arms. "Do you find it awkward that I'm happier than he is?"

"Yes, and that you're like…the way you are."

"Oh, this?" He said, showing off the gore that remained of him. "Your sister did this. I'm not mad at her, but I commend her on being such a good shot that even I almost got killed." He smiled grimly. "Almost."

"Ugh, please don't smile." Madison asked nicely. Blood was oozing out of Chip's corpse's face as he smiled, and as soon as he noticed it, he stopped.

"I used to smile a lot when I was younger…I miss it. I'm sure Charlie does too…he just needs to be given things to smile at."

"Yeah…" Madison replied. "Speaking of which…do you know where he is?"

"Oh, him and a woman are conversing on the other side of this forest. It looked like it was unpleasant. Please help him." Chip's corpse asked.

"I will." She nodded and continued walking. Chip's corpse grabbed her arm as she began to pass by.

"Please tell him to let us sleep. For me?" He asked.

"I will, once we're all safe."

"You're a sweetheart. Ever since I saw you, I knew that you'd be good for him. He needs to get away from me and more towards you…" Chip's corpse continued muttering as he let his hand slide down Madison's arm, and he walked off to join the other wandering corpses. He had left something in her hand, and she looked at it. In her hand sat a small pink crystal shaped like an open angel's wing with a hole in the top to set in a necklace or bracelet loop.

Madison walked forwards towards the other side of the forest, taking one last look back at the dead crowd; they all seemed tired, yet cheerful. Madison smiled and left the area.

Sungel finally arrived at Chronojiel's lair; it was dark and musty, swamped with briar branches, cobwebs and dust abound. On the solitary throne sat Chronojiel, lounging as if bored. She looked up and glared at Sungel. "How dare you interrupt my musing uninvited?" She said, sitting up.

"I come to speak to you." He said.

"What for? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Busy enough to take your time to-"

"Time belongs to me, young Saint; I don't need to take it!"

Sungel hung his head. "Pardon me, I meant no disrespect."

"I see…" She said, crossing her right leg over her left. "Would you like to start over…?"

"Of course." Sungel bowed out of respect. "I have come to make a request."

"A…request? From me…?" Chronojiel seemed a bit shocked. "I can only guess what this is."

Back in Chip's Subconscious, Madison continued her travels, desperately seeking what was left of Chip. She continued through the forest, the owls circling around like vultures. "Do you know where Chip is…?" She asked them. The owls spiraled down and screeched, then they began flying forwards. Madison followed them, running to keep the pace. Madison reached the edges of the forest and watched as the owls flew off towards a lone house to the northeast. She then ran in its direction.

The house seemed to illuminate in shades of grey as she approached. The house itself was a sturdy log cabin, with an archery range sitting in the front yard and a huge vegetable garden in the back; the entire property as boxed in by a tall fortification made of crudely made chicken wire. There seemed to be a couple small huts within a hundred mile area of the place, and the cabin was a fortress compared to them.

Madison walked inside, wondering what she'd find. As she opened the door, there was nothing but darkness inside; however, once she stepped inside, it was a different story entirely.

She walked into the den of the log cabin, and the first thing she noticed where the shadows. There wasn't anything that existed here, not even to the degree that the dead Chip and the other ghouls did. Tables, chairs, couches, the fires, even the people were nothing but shadows of their former beings.

She watched as the ghostly people moved about. A woman who was old enough to be her mother was walking around the kitchen, carrying ethereal plates and dishes around, an older gentleman was sitting in the den, sharpening a blade and running his finger over it to ensure its sharpness. A younger woman, about her age, was carrying laundry out back from the rest of the rooms.

"Hiyah!" A voice shouted. From out of the kitchen ran a young boy, a pink cape tied tightly on him, with a wooden sword in hand. Madison smiled; she knew who he was by the shade of his hair. He ran about the den, fighting invisible creatures gracefully, spinning and swinging about as if it were more a dance than a battle.

Madison walked forwards into the den as the young boy continued his battle. Madison stopped to watch him in action. He crouched slightly, then pushed forwards, spiraling as he went. His blade struck Madison, which caused all of the illusions to fade. What remained was a home with a few scattered pieces of furniture, trashed and covered in dust and cobwebs. The home's interior had practically become one big cobweb from lack of anybody living there. It was odd to see holes punched through the cobwebs, and it suddenly registered. "CHIP!" She shouted, following the rips in the cobwebs.

The traveling group in the real world found themselves flying around a part of town that Necrolai and Hunter had invaded. Hunter was nearly fully healed; its arm locked in place from paralysis for Chip's wounding, but Necrolai kindly reconstructed the arm for it to point directly out. The hooded archer companion grinned as he changed back into her smaller and more recognizable form after they landed on a flat roof overlooking the street that Necrolai and Hunter occupied. "Are any of you snipers or sniper-grade marksmen?" Sky raised his hand. "Good. What do you use?"

"I used to train with those old bolt actions when I was younger, but I typically use my pistol." He pulled out his standard pistol out of its holster.

"Think you can handle the bolt action, because we're going to need something to physically strike our target."

"It'll be like riding a bike." Sky replied with a grin. Their companion smiled back, pulled out his wand and summoned an old-fashion bolt-action rifle and a few bullets. "Here."

"Oh dear god…" Stella muttered, setting her face into her palm. "You've turned loose a maniac upon this poor town…"

"Shut it, Stella. I'm not going to go insane with the gun…this time." Sky replied. Stella rolled her eyes.

Sky took off his hat and cloak, along with his uniform jacket, setting them down as cushions.

"Uh oh, the jacket's come off." Stella said in a jokingly serious tone. "The man means business." Sky flashed an equally humorous tone back at her.

The companion changed his wand into a crossbow. "Okay, I'm going to aim for the trigger; if you could aim for the bridle…anywhere on it will do. I just need you to sever it."

"Why do you need me if you could do it?"

"We need to time our shots to hit at the same time to disable the crossbow entirely."

"Oh, okay." Sky said as he began inspecting the rifle and preparing it for a shot.

"Okay…we'll just wait for the perfect shot…"

"Roger." Sky said.

Out in the archery range of Rootcore, Clare's wand glowed. "There's trouble somewhere…"

"Is it the Lich Golem?" Xander asked.

"Most likely." Yuri replied.

"Well then, we'll just have to take our chances." Clare replied. "We'll stall for time…for Sungel, and hopefully Madison and Chip." The group nodded and got up, then ran for the broom bay.

Yuri watched as the group quickly transformed, and she felt the need to do the same. "Maagi-" She crossed her hands in front of her chest. "Magi-" she swung her arms out until they were parallel to her hips. "Majiiro!" She raised her left hand up, palm pointing to the ceiling as she shifted her right leg back a bit. She didn't need to, and the spell did nothing for her, yet after she did so, she changed out of her civilian clothes and into her Vampire Queen uniform. "Eternal Queen of Vampires! Queen Yuri!" She shouted, pointing forwards with her left hand.

Xander smiled. "C'mon, you're riding with me."

"Ooh." Yuri said, walking up to Xander. "How gentlemanly of you!"

"I'm gonna hurl." Vida replied.

"We don't have time for this!" Clare shouted, already on her broom. The group then continued on their journey out to Briarwood.

Elsewhere, Chronojiel found herself laughing. "You want me to reverse a decree?"

"He is a special case…he is one of the chosen Mystic Warriors who is supposed to be saving the planet from Infershia's rule!"

"Do you think I care about who controls the planet?" Chronojiel replied, annoyed. She stood up and slammed her staff's bottom against the ground. "As I told the Yellow Magician…it does not matter whether it's Infershia or Magitopia that rules Terra and Mysteria…my waltzes continue endlessly no matter who takes the throne! I could care less if Infershia ruled the earth…I still have my cords tied around their necks. You all die the same…some earlier than others."

"But you're a Saint!" Sungel said, completely upset with her response.

Chronojiel looked to her daisy for a moment, and began to twirl her staff. She pondered what was going on, using the time she owned as long as she wanted. Her thoughts thoroughly observed her conversation.

Madison ran through the house, continuing to follow the trail of torn cobwebs until she reached a back room, its door shut. She tried the handle, but it disappeared beneath her hand. She growled and kicked the door down. The inside looked dark from the outside, but she knew it was quite different otherwise. She walked into the room.

Inside was a nerve-rattling sight. A woman with floor-touching white hair and gunmetal robes stood over Chip, who was bound to the dirt floor through one of Chronojiel's Time Magic Circles by silver briar branches. He almost appeared to be sleeping.

"I sense that there is a visitor." The voice said, as ethereal as Chronojiel's, but a few octaves deeper. The figure turned around and stared at Madison. "Who…are you?"

"My name is Madison Rocca, and I am the Blue Magician. I am here for the Yellow Magician." She said, nervous, yet still maintaining her cool.

The Chronojiel-like figure laughed. "I am the Avatar of the almighty Chronojiel; if you want audience with one of her personal subjects…you'll have to go through me."

Madison nodded, then looked down to the charm that the corpse had given her. She smiled, and envisioned her trident, knowing that in one's mind, any perceived truth was definite. The angel wing crystal warped and twisted underneath her hand until a coral pink trident sat fully form in her hand. She clenched it with her other hand and took an offensive position. "I will keep that in mind."

The remnants of the Mystic Force cruised into Briarwood, landing near by where the sniping squad and their guide were preparing their sniping. They all ran out to look for Hunter and Necrolai, and they didn't have to look far. Hunter fired into the tailor's shop; killing the people it had before everything had been reversed. Xander seemed to grumble something before summoning his axe, and Yuri could tell that it was a cheerful grumble.

"Hunter, look what we have here…" Necrolai said happily as she leaned in to whisper a command. "Kill their bat. Show her the end of immortality."

Hunter grinned violently and moaned happily. The shot was sudden, the bolt lodged into Yuri's stomach. She jolted back for a bit in shock, but no sort of adverse reaction came from it. Necrolai stared. Hunter stood still. Sky saw his target.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Ready in three…two…"

Madison began the fight with a simple water wave that the Chronojiel Avatar let hit her for little effect. The Avatar's counter was a wave of refracted time, which slowed down everything within it. Madison noticed that she was moving slower and panicked internally; she kept her cool and began to charge, hoping to run through the wave.

The Avatar grinned and quickly zipped around the slowed Madison, striking her with its staff. The first slam was to her stomach, then to the back of her knee, and finally, the Avatar shoved the top of her staff to Madison's face, drawing blood. Madison continued to try and keep up with the Avatar, and grinned when she saw the end of the wave approaching. She swung her trident through the wall and attacked the Avatar.

A trident was not meant to attack with a swing, and the blow merely knocked the Avatar back and stunned it while the refracted wave passed. Madison was now back to her normal speed.

The Avatar swung its staff, and Madison caught the staff in between the prongs of her trident. The Avatar growled and pulled the staff out of its trap, stepping back and firing off gusts of accelerated air, smashing into Madison and toppling her. The Avatar laughed. "Do you honestly believe that you'll win against me…?"

"I believe…" Madison said, the blood running down her face. She pushed herself up with her trident, and she looked up and over at Chip. "This can't end like this…for either of us…." Madison muttered, hoping Chip could hear her. "I…won't let it…"

"…one." Both the hooded archer and Sky fired synchronously and shattered both the bridle and the trigger of the Juusatsu Bowgun. Hunter moaned and shrieked, and Necrolai scowled. She took several bombs out of her sidebag as the Mystic Force looked up in wonder.

"This time you can't escape!" She shouted, tossing the bombs upwards. Stella and Sky quickly threw up their shields before the building exploded and crashed to the ground. The Mystic Force gasped and ran over to their unknown allies.

They found the crew surrounded in a protective purple shield, unharmed but with bruised prides.

"You're crushing me!" Z shouted.

"You're getting crushed? The rifle barrel's in my gut!" Sky shouted back.

"Whose hand is on my ass?" Syd shouted, trying to look.

A muffled voice belonging to their companion rose up. "That's…not my hand…"

"Agh! Get your head out of my ass!"

"It's not my fault that's how we all bounced around and landed!" He replied, trying to sit up. "…but I must admit, it was a nice thing to land on."

"…You think? I always thought I had a bony butt."

"Oh god, get off me!" Z shouted again.

"Please…make her stop shouting…" Bridge asked.

Stella and Sky dropped their shields, and Stella looked completely winded.

"Doing that shield thing for more than two people is tiring…" She replied, leaning against Bridge once they all stood up.

"What kind of spell was that?" Clare asked.

"It wasn't a spell of any kind…" Stella replied. "It's all natural…well, not really natural, but…you know what I mean."

"So, who are you guys exactly…?" Vida asked.

Sky put his jacket back on and grabbed his morpher. "We are SPD's B-Squad." He opened his morpher to the first bracket of flipping panels. On the bottom half, a picture of himself stared out in a piercing glare. Under the picture read:

_Officer Name: Cpt. Schuyler "Sky" Tate_

_Rank: SPD Earth, B-Squad Red Ranger_

_Gear:_

_- D-Magnum 01_

_- D-Magnum 02  
- D-Cuffs_

The Mystic Force stared for a moment, reading. "Wow, a captain…" Nick said. "Cool. So…are you guys police, or military, or…?"

"We are an elite group of trained soldiers who defend Earth from destructive alien forces. We are the B-Squad of the Earth base's SPD station; we are the best of the best. We have been equipped with the proper crime-fighting technology that SPD has to offer." Sky spoke in a authoritative tone, reading from his textbook memory.

"Aliens…you mean, creatures from outside Terra?" Xander asked, confused about the term.

"…Yeah." Z replied. "We'll stick to that."

"Alright, enough of formalities…there's two things running around that aren't super friendly." Stella said, standing up strong. "I guess you guys could help us out."

"That's the other way around…" Nick corrected. "This is our town."

"Whatever…let's just get that gross thing out of here." Syd said.

Their companion began to walk off, which confused Bridge. "Hey, wait! Where are you going?"

"You guys are cooperating together…you don't need me…" He replied in a somber tone.

"We could use your he-" He shadow strafed away and out of sight before Syd finished her statement. "…lp. Well, not gonna get used to that." She replied.

"Strange…" Yuri mused, pulling the Juusatsu bolt out of her stomach.

"Well, I agree with him; we're together, so let's continue our mission!" Clare said, punching her palm in seriousness.

"That's just what I wanted to hear." Sky replied. The other four took their robes and hats off and prepared for a civilian fight.

Back in Chip's Subconscious, Madison continued her fight, but it seemed useless. The Avatar swirled around, zipping in and out of sight with blazing speed, beating relentlessly on the poor Blue Magician until she fell to her knees once more.

"Please, I pity you. Leave." The Avatar spoke. "Chronojiel has no business with you, so please don't make me have to set up such business."

"I came because there are more important things than punishment…many innocent people are going to die…the world will be destroyed, everything will die…"

"Everything you care about will…I know that." The Avatar replied. "But it doesn't mean that their replacements will be any less important."

"Do you think that they will stop with just Terra? With just Mysteria? They will destroy everything that is not their own. They will go after everything that even you hold dear! They will use the things you cherish against you because they do not know pity…they are like you, and their only rule in life is to conquer and devour what stand in their way. How can you just stand there and not care?"

"They will never destroy Chronojiel."

"They'll make war with her, and they will fight until there is nothing left of her."

"Then the world will cease to be."

"Then that is what they seek."

The Avatar stood and thought a moment about what Madison had said. "You make more sense than the Saint…" The Avatar looked back. "But even then, you make no sense. I suppose that since you will not listen, then I will have to destroy you."

Madison stood up, the prongs of her trident sitting beside her left ankle. The crystal on her anklet began to glow as she cried. "How could you not understand?" She shouted through her tears. "The world needs us, and you could care less!" The gem grew brighter, and the Avatar stood back.

"…Conway…" The Avatar muttered, thinking back.

_Conway stood on the field, weakened and tired. Tears ran down his face. "My friends…they depended on me…I failed them…" He looked up, and the crystal on his ankle glowed…_

"I'll play by your rules then…I'll destroy you first!" Madison shouted, swinging her trident upwards.

"_I will not permit you to inflict suffering elsewhere!" Conway shouted, swinging the Lion Trident upwards, summoning a giant wave of water that he himself could have never summoned on his own. Wolzard, who was standing on the other side of the field, was unprepared, and was quickly reminded that water was indeed a dangerous element…_

A blast of water shot through Madison's trident, spiraling out and crashing into the Avatar, knocking it back into a wall and piercing through its defenses and smashing its staff.

The Avatar fell to the ground, gasping for air. It looked up in pain. "It's…time…for me…to take a seat…" It then collapsed, disappearing in a cloud of dust. Madison fell to her knees and blacked out.

Meanwhile, Chronojiel looked up once she realized that her Avatar had been destroyed. Sungel stood there, wondering what her response would be, thinking of Madison's comments, and of Sungel's. She finally came to a solution.

"Tell me, Sungel…why do you come to me?"

"I come because it is a noble cause, and you are a considerably fair Saint."

"Flattery gets you nowhere, Sungel, especially here." She replied bitterly. "Now tell me…this 'noble cause'…do you feel that you are getting anywhere in your discussions with me?"

"To be honest? No."

"You lack courage and faith in this 'noble cause', and you only pretend to stand up for it now that you think you're getting nowhere. Tell me, why is this?"

"Because I don't feel like reasoning is going to help convince you…"

"Your student has said more in a few rage-made sentences than you've said in thought-out paragraphs."

"I have not taken them as students yet…"

"Yet you plan to, I know that. Do you really have faith in them? Do you have faith in their decisions?"

"They could use some work, I will admit…"

"How can you put your trust in them that they will be good students when you don't even trust their decisions now?"

"Because I've had to come here to fix their mistakes!" Sungel shouted.

After a moment of tension-ridden silence, she smiled. "I see…" She nodded. "We all live by the Mahou Precepts…'Without courage and faith, there is no magic.' is the first of those, is it not?"

"It is." Sungel replied.

"You lack faith in your soon-to-be students, you lack courage to stand up to me, and you lack faith in your own convictions. What makes you suddenly think that you are entitled to wield magic in this sort of situation?"

"…Are you saying that I don't deserve magic?"

"I'm saying that perhaps your perceived rank has gone to your head."

"…Perceived…?"

"A Saint does not a wise man make. Many Saints have sat out and been replaced over time…"

"Are you saying that I should be replaced?"

"No…merely…given a way to change your perception." She pointed her staff at Sungel, and a Time Magic Seal opened up beneath him. Silver briar branches shot up and ensnared him, pulling him to his knees. "The Terrans and the Mysterian have more courage and conviction than you do…perhaps they should be teaching you a lesson instead of the other way around!" The briar branches clawed their way through Sungel's armor. "Majiel herself would not disagree with my thoughts that you have grown overzealous and unrealistic…faithless and focused on your own sense of justice. I promise you that tomorrow…you will have a different state of mind…your conviction will falter, your faith in your students will need to be strong…you are not the almighty hero you think you are…Bragel must have taught you that at some point…maybe not. But I will."

As the briar branches dove into Sungel's skin, she smiled. "Perhaps, with all of this courage the young Magicians have shown…perhaps I can reverse my standings with the tortured child…"

Back at Rootcore, Madison slowly picked her head up, blood dripping from her now-broken nose. The pink angel wing sat in her hand, as well as her wand. She quickly repaired her nose with a Simple Resetting spell, then wiped the blood from her nose. She sat up in the chair and looked down at the pink angel wing crystal. She sighed and stood up, seeing that Chip was still in the position he had been in before.

She walked over to Chip and hugged him tightly. As she began to cry, she felt arms wrapping around her, pulling her close. She gasped and buried her head into his shoulder as he stood up and cried.

"I thought I lost you..." Madison cried. He kissed her cheek softly.

"I actually did lose you…I never want to do that again." He replied, stifling his own tears. "All I wanted was to hold you again…I wanted to see your smile…I wanted to be in a room with all of us…I thought I'd never have it again…"

"We're not dead because of you…and you're not dead either. You're with us again…"

"It's where I wanna be."

"Can we start over?"

"Of course." He replied. He then picked her head up and kissed her on the cheek once more. "Should we join the rest of them?" Chip said with a warm smile. Madison smiled back. "It wouldn't be a party without all of us there, would it?" They both ran for the broom bay.

Beneath the stairs sat the hooded traveler, smiling. "What a warm feeling…to see them again." A ball of light hovered out from under his cloak, and he smiled. "Isn't it lovely?" The ball of light cooed in the positive. "Should we go, Di?" The ball of light bowed. "We should." They both then made a run for the door.

In Briarwood, the B Squad prepared their assault. Sky drew up his large circular shield with a swing of his arm, and Stella, although she mimicked the move, instead created a long red energy blade that extended from her sharply pointed hand. Stella tossed her pistol to Z, and so did Sky, and Z nodded, splitting herself into three parts, each armed with a pistol a piece. Syd smiled and dug a hunk of diamond out of her pocket, which she instantly transmuted her hand into. Bridge grinned and took a fighting pose. "Ha, you guys have to set up for a fight." He joked.

Clare, Vida, Xander, and Nick all transmuted their MagiStaffs into their appropriate weapons. Necrolai sneered and summoned a giant unit of Hideacs, along with a few Styxoids. "Be there five or ten of you, we'll kill you all with ease! ATTACK!"

The Mystic Force charged into the fray, and Xander scored the first kill with a swift decapitation of a Styxoid. "Ha! Not so tough now, are ya?" He shouted as he continued to hack his way through the group. Nick followed Xander, showing that he hadn't let his long sleep dull his skills. Vida decided on a better option and donned her Fairy Wings and boxing gloves and began floating around beating down Hideacs. Clare smiled and fired off icicles into the crowd, making sure to avoid allies. Yuri took out her Uru-kun puppet and began barbecuing any who came within range.

The B-Squad ran at the same time the Mystic Force did, and Sky ran in first, using his shield as a battering ram and toppling them so that Z with her clones could finish them off with quick head shots. Syd ran in behind Sky, smashing apart whatever Hideac jumped in front of her, and even busting up a pair of Styxoids. She looked at her hand; it was covered in a purplish-brown goo. "Ew, gross!" She shouted. Stella and Bridge ran in together and began double-teaming whomever got in their way; Bridge stunned and tossed the Hideacs and Styxoids at Stella, who quickly sliced and diced the demons who crossed her path. Stella thanked her lucky stars that her shield was permanent; the goo was just rolling down the shield and collecting at her feet.

The ten finally cut through the last of the Hideacs, and Hunter growled and stepped forward, wishing to try. Necrolai grabbed its shoulder. "No, we must retreat."

Hunter shrieked in anger; Necrolai stepped away. "DEATH!" Hunter shouted, breaking away from its pain and reshaping its arm on its own. It turned the remnants of the crossbow into a crude and jagged club of sorts with a long reach.

"Oh, that doesn't look fun." Z said, pulling herself back together. "Why don't we step this up a bit?"

"Good idea." Sky said. They all pulled the morphers out of the holsters. "Ready?"

"Ready!" The other four shouted.

They pointed the front panels of the morphers towards the sky as they extended their arms up. "Emergency!" They all then swung their morpher arms down until they were perpendicular to their shoulders. "Ranger Up!"

They hit the grey triggers on their morphers, releasing from each morpher beams of light that corresponded with the color of their uniforms. The beams shot outwards for roughly twenty feet before arcing backwards like cluster rockets to surround the B Squad members. The beams of light engulfed their bodies, transforming the dull grey heavy wool uniforms into sleek and colorful spandex-like alloy suits of armor. The beams then surrounded their heads creating helmets with red lights that flashed once their transformation from basic police agents to galaxy defenders was complete.

Hunter began to charge, but before it could even run five feet, a trident surged past the newly-suited B Squad members and smashed into Hunter's helmet, crushing the skull mask it wore. The fully suited group turned around to see Chip and Madison standing there, ready for action. The trident dissipated and reappeared in Madison's hand in its wand form.

"How…how can it be!" Necrolai shouted. "I thought you'd be dead by now!"

"Hm…" Syd said, placing her hand to her chin. "He looks familiar…"

"You can't keep a good Magician down." Chip replied.

Madison smiled. "Ready, Chip?"

"I have a score to settle." Chip grinned.

Madison and Chip both held up their wands. "Maagi Magi Majiiro!" Magic Circles appeared beneath them, blue and yellow respectively, and rings of water and lightning surrounded them, transforming their outfits into skintight magic imbued armor, complete with helmets baring their magic branch's insignia. Their wands became MagiStaffs, but Chip quickly changed his into a crossbow and fired a shot into Hunter's skull mask, breaking it to reveal the twisted visage within.

What remained of Icaryia was a horridly reconstructed version of her face with empty eye sockets and a permanently opened mouth; hardly any face with nothing resembling a hair at all. What was left of her was nothing more than an alchemic catastrophe. Syd squealed in terror, as did Clare.

Hunter stared out with its empty eyes, seeing with the aid of Madou energy coursing through it. "Kill…kill Magicians…kill all of them…"

"Well, if we're gonna fight for real, I say we all properly introduce ourselves." Bridge said. "I mean, I'm sure the evil bat lady would like to know who we are."

"Alright, basic role call. I'd hate to drag it out." Sky replied. They then all took their positions and began their role call.

"SPD One, Red!" Sky said proudly.

"SPD Two, Blue!" Bridge said, with an equal amount of pride.

"SPD Three, Green!" Stella said cheerily.

"SPD Four, Yellow!" Z said with a sassy tone to her voice.

"SPD Five, Pink!" Syd said in a flirty tone.

"Defenders of the galaxy! Space Patrol Delta!" They shouted, saluting quickly before taking attacking stances.

"And…in case you forgot!" Xander said, pumping his fist. The Mystic Force group assembled into their formation; Yuri stepped back for a moment.

"Strength of the Minotaur, power of nature! Mystic Force Green!" Xander said.

"Speed of the Fairy, power of the wind! Mystic Force Pink!" Vida shouted.

"Grace of the Mermaid, power of the sea! Mystic Force Blue!" Madison said, curtseying.

"Brightness of the Garuda, power of lightning! Mystic Force Yellow!" Chip said, a toughness rolling in his words.

"Force of the Phoenix, power of fire! Mystic Force Red!" Nick said in an intimidating tone.

"The power of the eternal winter! Mystic Force White!" Clare said in a soft, yet forceful, tone.

"Six magics, six Magicians, together we protect the planet! We are the Mystic Force!" They too took attacking poses.

The force of the combined powers of both SPD and the Mystic Force created an explosion behind them, one Yuri became caught up in. She incinerated and dropped to the ground, regenerating a second later.

"…ow…" Yuri said as she stood up.

Hunter howled, and Chip shot a magic bolt at it, which just bounced off. "Impossible!" Chip shouted.

"I'll do it!" Sky said, pulling out his Magnums. He fired off multiple rounds, all which bounced off. "What?" He said, dropping his arms to the side.

Necrolai laughed. "Try as you may, but my Lich Golem is perfect! It has succeeded where that pathetic Morrigan failed…"

"Hm…" Bridge powered down and took his glove off. He waved his hand in front of him, trying to study its aura. A flicker of cardinal red resided within a shell of emptiness. "A shell…why are the villains all becoming shells…?" He muttered. "But a soul, yes…there is still something left…" He put his glove back on and leaned forwards. "Were any of you good friends with the deceased?"

The Mystic Force stared at him. "NO!" They shouted. "I was." Yuri said, stepping forward.

"Do you think you could try and talk to the departed?"

"I'm not going to try!" Yuri shouted. "Golems do not have souls!"

"She does. Faint, but there."

"…Perhaps, I will try."

Yuri walked forwards and approached Hunter. "Morrigan, my dear old servant…please rest in peace…"

"Death! DEATH TO MAHOUTSUKAI!" Hunter shouted before slugging Yuri upside the head and dusting her.

"That's one killer right hook." Bridge joked after morphing. Nobody laughed. "…Sorry."

Hunter charged at the large group, swinging its club arm wildly. Z and Syd took out their D-Batons and blocked one shot, allowing Vida and Madison to fire blasts of water and wind its way. Hunter was knocked back by the shot, but took very little damage.

Clare then engaged Hunter on her own, giving the rest of the group time to think.

"Time for a little more teamwork!" Bridge shouted. "How about it?"

"Just tell me where to go and what to do." Stella said.

"I'll take the lead." Chip stated.

"Why are you in charge?" Xander asked, giving him a dirty look.

"Because I have a plan!" Chip replied.

The quartet formed a group; Bridge and Chip forming the long range, Xander and Stella forming the close range. "You two charge, us two shoot. Got it?" Chip said.

"Roger!" Bridge and Stella said.

"Fine." Xander replied.

"Go!"

Clare was knocked down, giving Xander and Stella room to attack. Chip and Bridge distracted Hunter by firing numerous shots at its joints, looking for weak spots to exploit. One of Bridge's shots revealed that the base of the club was still weak, and without any formal conversing, Stella realized where they had to strike. "Hey Green, aim for the base of the club." She quickly said.

"Got it." Xander said. He used his Water Rock spell and turned the ground beneath them viscous enough to be warped into a ramp for them to run up for a jump attack. Xander and Stella aimed for the base of the club, but neither got lucky, as they were quickly swatted away.

"Finally, my time has come!" Nick and Sky shouted simultaneously. Nick prepared his sword and Sky quickly checked his Magnums. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Nick said. They then both charged Hunter. Sky used the club to his advantage and jumped on top of it when Hunter swung at him, leaping over Hunter's head and landing behind it. Nick kicked Hunter in the stomach, knocking it over to Sky, who kicked it in the back of the knee, then where its liver should have been. Nick then slashed it at the base of its club, and Sky shot it repeatedly in the head. Hunter merely just bounced between both attackers, and Necrolai scowled. Necrolai tossed bombs at Sky and Nick, knocking them aside.

The B-Squad Rangers and the Mystic Force clamored together. "Perhaps we're doing this the wrong way…" Stella said.

"Right. We did little damage in groups." Bridge observed. "Perhaps a group attack might work."

"I was just about to suggest that myself." Chip replied.

"I like the way you think." Bridge said.

"Thanks." Chip replied.

The Mystic Force changed their weapons back into MagiStaffs; Stella converted her D-Baton and D-Knuckle into a D-Blaster, and Sky combined his Magnums into a Magnum Blaster.

"Prepare for engagement!" Sky shouted.

"Get ready, guys!" Clare said. Madison and Chip's Crystals glowed, and they stared.

"Ooh! A new spell!" Clare said. "What better time to use it!"

"Let's give it a whirl!" Vida said, excited.

The Mystic Force prepared their attack by standing in the positions of the Magic Circle to which they belonged to; the women kneeled in front of the men, and they all connected their Mystic Crystals, while Clare sat the pointed end of her staff backwards through the middle of the circle, with the Snow Crystal pointing at the target.

The B Squad Rangers grinned. "Beta Formation!" Sky shouted. Z and Syd quickly converted their D-Batons to D-Blasters and kneeled in front of Stella and Bridge.

"Ready?" Sky said.

"Roger!" They shouted.

Sky aimed to fire, but suddenly felt guilty, so he pulled out his morpher and opened up to the last panel. "Lich Golem Hunter…" Everybody else on the field stared at him in confusion, but he continued. "you are charged with the multiple erasures of human life forms and the assault of SPD and local law enforcement operatives. Judgment!" The morpher shouted 'Judgment Time!' and began flashing between a red X and a blue O.

"God, why are we doing this again…?" Stella asked, annoyed.

"Unlike some people, I like following the proper procedures." Sky shot back. The morpher landed on the red X and Sky smiled. "GUILTY! Okay guys, we can blast it now."

"FINALLY!" The Mystic Force and the rest of B Squad shouted.

The Mystic Force went first. "Jinga Luuma Majika Lujuna! Ancient Mystic Light!" The five core Crystals fired beams of colored light into the Snow Crystal, which collected them all and combined them with its own light. The Snow Crystal then fired the six beams off, the white light shooting straight forwards and the other five lights spiraling around it.

"SPD B-Squad Crusher!" The B Squad shouted, all charging their weapons to full power and firing them all at once, producing five beams of colored light that shot straight at Hunter.

Both collections of light struck Hunter and surged through its body, destroying everything inside that it touched. The beams finished coming and Hunter shrieked and howled as well as its mangled voice would allow it before it before it fell to the ground and imploded, releasing Icaryia's soul and the Madou inside that was used to summon the Lich Golem.

"Justice prevails, no matter the time nor the place! SPD!" The B Squad shouted, taking their own victory poses.

"Courage, faith, and the light within us crushes the darkness of Infershia! Checkmate!" The Mystic Force snapped their fingers as they took a victory pose as well.

"THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" Necrolai shouted, taking a step back. "I'll come back, just you wait!" She shouted, disappearing in a Madou Circle.

"Yeah, you'd better…run…" Syd began to say, trailing off. "Yeah!"

"You know, I don't get any of this…but I guess seeing is believing…but it's hard to believe what I see if everything I see makes no sense…" Bridge began wandering off and muttering to himself. Stella followed him. "Back to the group, Bridge."

"Fine…" Bridge said, sighing.

"That was pretty good, you guys!" Nick said as the group dropped out of transformation and walked over to the B Squad. The B Squad powered down and stood at attention once they faced their allies. "I wouldn't mind an introduction if you don't."

"Of course not." Sky said. "My name is Sky Tate, this is my annoying yet useful twin sister Stella, my good friend Bridge Carson-" Chip gave an interested look. "and the fine pair of Elizabeth Delgado and Syd Drew."

"You can call me Z." Z added in at the end with a sassy smile.

"Okay, well, I'm Nick Russell, to my left is Clare…"

"Antonia."

"Clare Antonia…and then Chip Thorn, and Madison Rocca. To my right is Xander Bly, and Madison's sister Vida."

"Well, it's nice to meet you all, but we really must be going…" Sky said, politely bowing.

"STAY!" They shouted. "We're gonna have a party!"

"A party? I'm staying." Stella and Syd shouted together. Sky sighed.

"We should be getting back home now…" Sky said under his breath.

"PARTY!" Syd and Stella shouted at him in emphasis of what they wanted.

"Fine…just…fine…New Tech could be reduced to rubble while we're partying…but you wouldn't care…"

"Oh, the C Squad can handle things!" Stella replied, waving off the idea that anything bad would happen.

"Besides, I'm liking this place!" Syd said. "Can't we stay for a little while longer?"

"…Fine…"

"YAY! PARTY!"

The Mystic Force ran to their brooms, dragging the B Squad along with them. The field lay empty besides the remains of Hunter and the dust that made up Vankyuria. Vankyuria quickly pulled herself back together as the hooded traveler approached the scene. She stared at him as he approached, hood down, yet she didn't make an effort to greet him, as he was staring up at the sky.

He pointed his wand upwards. "Zazzado Majiine Mee Gonga." A thin, translucent smoke traveled upwards, ensnaring a rapidly dissipating cloud of cardinal red energy and trapping it in a silver ball, which dropped from the sky once it had finished collecting. "There. You'll never bring death and sorrow again."

He looked down for a moment, and he sighed deeply. Yuri walked over to him as he incinerated the remaining parts of the golem.

"Hello, Vankyuria." He said softly.

"I do not go by that name anymore." She replied.

"I'm sorry. I forgot…" He replied, his voice toned down a bit from earlier. He sounded depressed.

"Are you alright?" She asked, trying to look under his hood to see his face.

"I'll be fine." He replied.

Yuri embraced him. "That is good to hear. We should all be happy and thankful that all is well in the world again."

"Yeah…" He smiled softly.

Yuri then stood back and looked at him. "Might I be graced with the knowledge of who you are, or at least a name to call you…?"

He smiled and leaned in close to her, whispering his name. Her eyes went wide as she looked at him. "Oh…how did this come to be…?"

"You know. You thought about it once, remember? You were right."

Yuri smiled and hugged him tightly. "Then I shall do it."

They stood in an embrace for a moment. "I will be the best oba-chan that I can!"

"I think you already are." He smiled. "Now, I'm going to take this back with me, where I belong. I'll see you in a few decades."

"Ah, but I always see you, do I not?" She joked as she pinched his cheek. "Besides, I've lived for thousands of years. What is a decade or two to me but what you think a moment is?"

"Ah, I forgot."

"You forget much."

"I'm trying hard to remember." He laughed. "Now, I go."

"Take care."

The hooded traveler then walked into the forest with the trapped soul shell in hand. Yuri smiled and headed for Xander's house.

The hooded traveler entered the rip in the universe after a long travel, smiling happily. "My home is safe, as is my family…all is well."

Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, Sungel was returned back to his room in Rootcore, where Kiran found him sprawled out and unconscious.

"Master Sungel…?" He said, helping his fallen master to his bed and tucking him in tightly. "Oh, I have a bad feeling…I hate bad feelings, nyah…"


	25. Interlude: Eternal Dusk

Xander quickly whipped a party setting once the two battle-weary groups arrived at his home, and the B Squad began slipping into an 'at ease' sort of situation alongside their new friends. "Anybody want any wine?" Xander asked.

"None for us," Sky replied with a wave of his hand. "we'll probably be called out to something new once we return home."

"And one drink will kill you?" Nick replied.

"Sky, just because you're a tightwad, doesn't mean the rest of us are." Stella replied. "Whatcha got?"

"Stella…" Sky whined.

"Shut it!"

"How about just dinner and conversation?" Clare said to break the tension.

"Sure!" Xander nodded for Yuri to join him in the kitchen.

"So…where are you guys from, exactly?" Nick asked in a detective-type fashion.

"Well…" Sky looked nervous about answering.

"We're from the future." Bridge quickly answered. "We're from the Earth Branch of SPD…but I doubt you guys know what that is so I'll explain-"

"Bridge!" Sky shouted, scaring Bridge into silence.

"God, Sky, take your Midol and stop being a bitch." Stella replied.

Z split into two once more; one maintaining the seat and one now standing in front of Sky. The second Z picked Sky up and led him outside for a talk.

Vida's eyes opened widely in shock. "Wow…" She said, causing Xander to look through the small window in the wall that he willed to create. Vida turned around and grinned. "Did you see that, Xander?" Xander replied in a blunt yet positive tone. Vida cocked an eyebrow and walked into the kitchen. Xander willed the wall back together.

"So…you're just going to pretend you didn't see that?" Vida replied.

"It was a neat trick…I've actually been practicing on creating doppelgangers myself…mostly for diversions, though…not like what she did."

"Dude…you're not impressed…?"

"No, not really. You seem much more impressed than I do." Xander replied as he walked past her with a set of plates.

"…Vankie neutered you." She replied, her voice slightly tinted with shock.

"She…what?" He said.

"Has she bitten you? You look tired." Vida backed up a bit from Xander as he walked into the back half of the kitchen.

"I overslept a few hours today, so what? That's why I look tired…I'm over-rested."

"And if I bit him, he'd be much paler." Yuri snapped at her from behind. Vida turned around and jumped.

"We've been working very hard, Vi. You know me…I'm not a terribly hard worker…I'm just showing it a bit more."

"We…haven't done a ton of hard work, though…like, a few fights in the last three months."

Xander smiled. "Any work is work to me, Vi."

Vida sighed and left the argument, opting to back down this time. Yuri waited for her to leave before she softly turned Xander's face to hers and saw for herself what Vida was talking about. "Your eyes look a little swollen, like you need sleep."

"Every little thing makes me more and more tired…" He replied. "Every day, I have to push harder and harder to get up…"

"I will help you then, every single morning." Yuri replied with a smile.

"Much obliged, love." He replied, kissing her quickly and getting back to work.

Xander and Yuri provided a luxurious dinner for both groups, which they happily scarfed down over long talks and story swaps about crazy battles and even more insane monsters.

"So, we're surrounded on patrol by like, twenty Krybots, and Sky's like, 'Well, maybe we should just shoot them.', but they were holding several civilians hostage, so we couldn't attack them…so we're like, 'Somebody call Stella in, just keep her from flinging herself at a civilian!'" Syd recalled, causing her audience to laugh.

"That reminds me of the time we were just starting out, and we were fighting a few Hideacs who decided they were going to sneak up on these subsistence farmers in this area in Mysteria…"

"Vida, not this story…" Nick said, blushing.

"Oh yes, this story!" Vida said back. "So, we're in Mysteria, and these elvey people are being chased in their cornfield, and Nick's all like, 'I'll get'em!', and he's running through the cornfield, and he trips!"

The B Squad crew laughed hysterically; Bridge laughed and nearly fell out of his chair. Nick slowly slid into his chair.

"So, do you guys do anything besides police work?" Nick said, trying to get the conversation away from himself.

"We're also a jazz band!" Stella proclaimed happily.

"A jazz band and a police unit. Interesting mix." Xander replied.

"Maybe I can get Sky in here and we can play something." Stella said.

"Oh, that would be lovely!" Yuri replied.

"Then let's do it." Bridge said.

Stella walked outside and brought Z and Sky in while Xander quickly cleaned up the ballroom for a performance. Nick tuned up one of the acoustic guitars and strummed a quick tune as the B Squad wandered in. Sky smiled once he spotted the large standing bass, and he quickly picked it up and hugged it. Nick had to give up his guitar to Stella, who gave him a sweet smile. Bridge, who had been tinkering with the grand piano nearby, pulled a chair over with a flick of a swiftly ungloved hand and sat down in it. Syd squealed once she saw the huge selection of percussion instruments, and she sat a few drums around a lone chair, along with a fine selection of percussion sticks. Z found a beautiful violin with an accompanying horsehair bow. "Oh…is this a Stradivarius?"

"It was a gift from an old friend of the family." Xander replied. "I'd be honored if I had a guest use it."

"I'll play it with style."

"I wanna play too!" Vida said, grabbing a violin as well.

"Vi…"

"No! If she can jam, we're good." Sky replied. His demeanor had changed once he removed his uniform jacket and began tuning the giant jazz bass. He was completely focused on the strings and nothing else now; not even the jokes of those around them as they began to jam.

"Fine, I'll play too…" Nick added, strumming another acoustic guitar that he found.

As the new allies played music together, Rootcore was plagued with a wave of pessimism. Kiran paced around outside Sungel's room, waiting for his master to wake up and tell him what happened with Chronojiel. He waited for the others to return to Rootcore, or at the very least, call him to report good news.

"Aye, I find myself waiting…again…I hope the next wait's not another nineteen years…" He muttered.

The morning came, and the groups woke up from their long party to the sound of Sky's morpher alerting him to an incoming call. Sky shot up, alert and focused, clearing his throat before answering.

"…Hello?" He said as the rest of the party sat up.

"Are you authorized to use this line?" A stern voice came over the line. Sky stared at his morpher; the voice wasn't entirely familiar.

"Um…yeah…" Sky stared at his morpher. Bridge stared at the morpher as well, unsure who was barking at Sky.

"Who do you work for?" The voice said quite sternly once more.

"We're SPD, man…this is an official frequency of my unit and my unit only. Who the hell are you?"

The voice on the other line went silent for a moment, then the once forceful voice sounded slightly softer. "Where are you right now…?"

"Who is this?" Sky asked.

"This is Lt. Colonel Wes Collins of the Silver Guardians. Who is this…?"

"Captain Schuyler Tate of the SPD B Squad…the Silver Guardians…?"

The line went silent for another moment, then another reply. "We traced this line to a town outside our location…you got GPS?"

Bridge smiled and held up his morpher. "Yeah…"

"I'll give you the coordinates. I want you to meet me with whatever parties you traveled here with."

Stella opened up her morpher and shot over to the notepad. "Fire away, Lt. Colonel."

Back at Rootcore, Kiran heard a faint moaning coming from his master's room, making his ears perk up. Sungel was calling him into his room, and he felt obligated to do so. He walked in, and it was eerie seeing the usually glowing room enveloped in complete darkness. He thanked Majiel that he was a magic cat at the moment, as his eyes swiftly adjusted to the twinkles of the weak dawn that trickled in.

"…Ki…ran…?" Sungel cried out in a whisper.

"…Master? Are you alright?" Kiran asked.

"I need you…to help me…" He replied in the same whispering tone.

"Name your wish, master." Kiran replied.

Back in Briarwood, The B Squad stood in front of Xander's house, looking back at it and Briarwood as a whole. They knew they would not ever be seeing it again. "We'll meet these 'Silver Guardians' in their town, then we'll be going home…so this is goodbye." Sky said. He offered Nick his hand for a shake. "It has been good to meet you all, and we hope that maybe someday, we'll meet you all again…but like I said, it's doubtful."

Nick took Sky's hand and shook it. "Hey, maybe we'll visit you guys in twenty or so years…we may be retired by then, but it'd be good to see you guys on the beat, au naturale."

"If you do, we'll be sure to deliver." Bridge replied. "But for now, think only of the present…"

"The world needs you now…" Stella tacked on.

"And you guys have one mean bitch to get rid of…" Z added.

"And she really needs a lesson on fashion. Maybe if you hit her hard enough, she'll realize how trashy faux goth is." Syd chirped. Sky stepped back to his group and grinned; the entire group gave a quick SPD salute to their former allies. "From SPD to you guys, we are grateful for your hospitality."

Nick gave them a military salute, to which the other members of his own group followed. "From one former army brat to another…take care."

"Ha, you bet." Sky smiled warmly and turned to leave, leading his group out of Briarwood and out to find their own paths.

"It sucks that they requested our assistance." Chip said. "I mean, I could've easily flew all of them to the right position…"

"Nah, they're right. Briarwood needs us to be here." Nick replied.

"Which reminds me…we never got any sort of call from Sungel…I wonder what's going on…" Clare said.

"We should go." Xander replied.

"Iku ze, anata." Yuri softly said to Xander.

"We go."

As the group began to leave, Chip stood, dumbfounded. "…When did Xander learn Infershian…?" He looked down to ponder for a second, then erased the thought from his mind as he followed the others to Rootcore.

As they arrived, Vida couldn't help but notice that the sun still hadn't risen fully. "It's nearly nine a.m., and the sun's still sitting under the horizon…?" She sighed. Chip walked up behind her and whispered, "It's like an eternal dusk…the eye of a hurricane." into her ear, which sent a shiver up her spine. She feared walking into Rootcore now…she suddenly feared what she'd find waiting for her. However, she sucked it up; she was a powerful Magician, after all, and with power, cowardice is meaningless.


	26. Silent Light

Ravenwood had been relatively silent since the rising of the Gates, and peace seemed to hover over those who had suffered no losses. Life had gone by relatively the same as before, only with minor problems stemming from the lone roving Hideac or Styxoid.

Sylvie Russell, though there was no damage to her or her family outside of the occasional stress from thinking about her brother Nick, found herself in a panic one day. In the Snowflake Crystals fine jewelry shop, she found herself still looking around for Nick's true birthday gift. She looked at the calendar; it showed that today was October 19th, and her own birthday was 11 days away. She sighed and continued looking.

"I know you're in this store…" She whined as she rummaged through a pile of boxes. She heard a bell jingle; somebody had walked in. She turned around and smiled, as her guest was a familiar face.

"Good morning, Crystal." She said in a flustered tone.

"Good morning, Sylviana." Snowjiel replied, bowing softly. He then looked around the store; she hadn't visited in a while.

"What's the occasion? I'm sort of busy."

"Well, I heard you were looking for something, and I decided to help an old friend out." Snowjiel smiled and stuck her hand deep into her sari. Sylvie turned around and looked up.

"You know?"

"I'm sorry I didn't come to you right when you first looked…" She took out a small frozen ball which contained a box.

Sylvie stared at it, her eyes widening. "Why did you have this…?"

"A while ago, Udonna told me about this box…she said that you had a threat come upon you while it was in your possession…so she wanted me to take it to my dimension with the other Marauders."

"…I see. So Udonna did not believe in me…" Sylvie seemed hurt.

"Oh, it had nothing to do with her faith in you! She knew of who was coming for it…and I know that once he knows its re-entry to Terra, he'll come back for it again."

"I'll give this to Nick on the second Eve of Hallows."

"I'll stay with you until then." Snowjiel said.

"Only if you can work."

"You know me; I'm a workaholic!" Snowjiel said with a smile.

The Mystic Force had heard nothing from Sungel for the last few days besides the few "Sungel wants…" and "Sungel thinks that…" lines from Kiran, who had become little more than a go-between for both parties.

The 19th was the day that Nick had enough. "I demand to see Sungel." He said. Kiran's eyes widened.

"He's…busy!" Kiran replied.

"Too busy to run the group he's responsible for without his pet doing all the work for him?"

"I'm not his pet; I'm his servant!"

The crystal ball alerted the group to an invasion before the argument could escalate further. "I'll continue this when I get back." Nick replied sourly before the group left. Kiran sighed as he heard the brooms fly away.

"Nyah…this is not good…"

"What's not good, Kiran…?" A voice weakly called out from behind him. Kiran turned around and saw Sungel standing, leaning on the dais for support.

Gone was his golden armor; it was replaced with a royal blue puffy shirt and an equally puffy pair of scarlet pants, covered mostly by a long goldenrod-shaded chamanto with dark gold embroidery. He hadn't put anything on his feet, and Kiran panicked a bit and used a little speck of his magic to zap a pair of fuzzy slippers on his feet. His normally bronze skin was almost as white as Kiran's fur, and his shining golden blonde hair disheveled and screaming bedhead.

"You should be resting, master Sungel." Kiran said.

"No, no…I heard the Red Magician…I should be out here with them."

"But master…what are you going to do…?"

"Whatever I can…give them my knowledge, if nothing else." He said, walking down the stairs to the main floor. He reached the bottom and let go of the railing; and the moment he tried to take a step unassisted, a wave of vertigo crippled him, sending him crashing to the ground. Kiran screeched and picked Sungel up. "Master, are you alright?"

"I'm okay. I just got a little dizzy. I'm probably just anemic from hunger…"

"Master, I don't think you're hungry…"

"I haven't eaten in days…I hardly fit in these pants." Sungel smiled weakly.

Kiran sighed. "Fine, fine…I'm sure somebody left something to eat in here…" Kiran sat Sungel down at the round table and went to digging around the cabinet.

The battle was quick, and the group returned to find Sungel asleep at the table, waiting for Kiran to bring him some breakfast. Vida was the first to look shocked. "Hey, who's this guy?"

Sungel looked up and smiled weakly. "Ah, you're back…" He sat up and looked back at Kiran. "How's that breakfast coming along…?"

"Fine, master…" Kiran then noticed the Magicians. "Oh! Welcome back! Quick fight, eh? Another routine beatdown?"

"This's Sungel?" Nick questioned harshly.

"Yes, I'm Sungel. Sorry for my informalities…I'd be in armor if I could…" He sighed. "I suppose that if I'm going to be partially informal, I might as well go the full way…you may call me Sorin if you wish."

"Sorin…that's a nice name…what's it mean?" Vida asked. Chip began walking away; he knew Vida was going to command the conversation, and that he just didn't care to listen to it.

"It means 'sun'…Rita?"

"Vida."

"Right."

Madison sighed and walked out to the den. Chip lied his head against her shoulder and slowly fell asleep, and she proceeded to run her hand through his hair.

"I sincerely apologize for not memorizing all of your names…" He pointed to Xander. "I know this…Leander?"

"Xander."

"Okay, and you…Mary?"

"Clare."

"Ah, so close. And you…you're Nate, right?"

"Nick."

"Right! Right, Nick…"

"Master!" Kiran shouted, running in with a large mug. "Here you go!"

"Ooh, what'd you make?" Vida asked, looking into the mug. Sorin looked up at her questioningly. "Oh, sorry. I'm being nosy…" She blushed and walked over to the bookcase. Xander walked upstairs to take care of his plants, and Clare went into the broom bay to polish up the brooms and do a bit of maintenance work on them.

"So…Sorin…" Nick said, sitting down in his chair and staring at the less-than-chipper Saint. "What's up with the wardrobe change?"

"Change of pace." Sorin replied before taking a sip of the frothy grey concoction in the mug. As soon as it hit the back of his throat, he gagged, sputtered, and nearly threw up. "What the hell is this?"

"I made a hearty chai tea with a few herbs to make you feel vibrant and awake…I'm sorry you do not like it, master."

"That's okay…" Sorin replied, crunching up in his seat and sipping the tea drop by drop.

Nick got up from his seat and sighed. "I'm out."

"Where are you going?" Sorin asked.

"I'm going out for breakfast."

"Oh! Can I come with you?" Sorin asked.

Nick was shocked. "Um…sure…"

"Wonderful!" Sorin said, jumping up out of his chair. "I'll go change into something more…civilian." As he walked upstairs, his legs gave out and he dropped to the floor, dropping the mug and shattering it. "Hello again, floor…"

Kiran and Vida ran to help him up, and as the two crossed paths, Kiran swung his arm back and smacked Vida in the face, knocking her flat on her back. "Sorry!" Kiran said as he continued running to Sorin's side.

"…Ow."

Kiran helped Sorin upstairs and helped him pick out a proper outfit. After ten minutes of struggling and picky choosing of clothes, he walked downstairs. He finally chose a red dragonhide riding jacket with a long goldenrod-shaded shirt underneath, and a pair of indigo jeans and black shoes.

"I'm sorry if I'm overdressed, but this is the mos-" Sorin stopped once he saw Nick's outfit; a black leather riding jacket, a pair of blue jeans, and a red teeshirt. "Never mind."

"Took you long enough." Nick replied. "I could've starved to death waiting any longer. Let's go."

"Pardon me, but I'd like to take my own form of transportation…do you mind?"

"What do you have in mind?"

Sorin grinned slyly as Nick gave him a slightly weirded out look.

Less than five minutes later, Nick found himself levitating with Sorin atop Sorin's personal mode of transport; his old flying carpet.

"So, is this better than a broom or what?" He asked, attempting to translate his own vernacular to match that of Nick's as an attempt to be friendly.

"Well, more spacious for riders…but shouldn't we be wearing helmets?"

"…Helmets?" Sorin continued as the carpet began to lurch forward under its own volition. "Why would we need helmets? Are we going to need to fight our way into your place of breaking fast?"

"Ugh…no…"

"Then there's no need for helmets aboard faithful Skarpet!" Sorin shouted as Skarpet began to fly faster. Nick panicked and grabbed a hold of Skarpet tightly.

Nick seemed shocked to be flying overhead Rothwood; construction was abound through the streets, and there were various people in many different kinds of uniforms surveying all the construction.

"What the heck is going on here…?" Nick said as they dropped down in front of the diner.

"The buildings look like they're being…rebuilt." He replied. "I mean, I'm a Saint, not a mason…but that's what it looks like to me."

"About time…" Nick replied. "This town is falling apart in some places. Come on…send the carpet somewhere inconspicuous."

"Okay." Sorin ordered Skarpet to shrink down so that he could fit it in his jacket pocket, which it did as they walked into the diner.

Sorin looked around; the sort of place he was in now reminded him of an old tavern with the many booths and people gossiping about as the world went about its normal business.

He smiled to the waitress who sat them down as a formality, but he held back from kissing her hand in fear that the intimidating lass would strike him for being cheeky. She sat down their menus and Sorin was intruiged. He began looking at the menu in shock. "Wow…they went out of their way to write out the services they offer…"

"All restaurants write out their menus." Nick replied sharply. He wasn't going to be nice to somebody who was either out of his mind or was playing stupid with him.

"I…don't recognize any of these items…" Sorin admitted. He pointed to a cluster of words. "What's that?"

A waiter walked by with the plate he asked for. "It's that." Nick replied, pointing at the plate.

"Oh. I think I'll have that." Sorin replied.

"Alright." Nick said. "Place your menu down and somebody'll come over."

Sorin nodded and complied. This wasn't as hard as he imagined.

After a minute or so, Nick heard his name called, and he looked up. Stella and Bridge, dressed in modern civilian clothes, were waving at them. Stella and Bridge requested to sit with them, and the four shared a booth.

Bridge wore a beat up black wool pea coat with a blue undershirt, along with a pair of blue jeans and a pair of sneakers. Stella sat wearing a bucket hat which hid most of her grown out pixie cut hair, a heavy green army sweater, a pair of green khaki capris with knee-high leather boots.

"Nick, it's so good to see you again!" Stella said. "I thought we were separated for good…"

"What brings you and your…friend…here?" Bridge asked as Stella and him began searching the menu for something good to eat.

"Well, I used to come here a lot to eat…so I felt like coming here to eat. The real question is, what the hell are you guys doing here?"

"Well, the guy who gave us his location led us to this town, and we've been stationed here in a local barracks they're setting up." Stella replied.

"Yeah…nothing like being in a barracks again…" Bridge sarcastically added.

"These guys bought out the local law enforcement here and are training them in their style." Stella said. "They're introducing them to all new weapons and technology, and some superb hand-to-hand stuff, too…"

"Ah, I'd be getting better training if only I stayed home…" Nick replied, sounding a bit sad.

"You don't want their training. I was watching them the other day…they're total pricks about it." Bridge replied.

"Oh, well then, glad I left."

Stella chuckled as a waitress came over to their table and took their orders. While they were waiting for their meals, Bridge got a bit antsy and Sorin noticed.

"You okay over there?" Sorin asked. "You look a bit nervous."

"Oh, um…" Bridge turned a bit pale. "I was just wondering…if it would be alright to ask if I could read your auras…"

"Read our auras?" Nick asked. "Does it hurt?"

"Oh, it's painless on both ends. I just have a habit of wanting to know people's auras…it's really helpful sometimes."

"Well, if it costs nothing, I'm for it." Nick replied.

Bridge took off his left glove and waved his arm across towards his right shoulder, creating an ethereal trail of green light which dissipated as quickly as it appeared. His eyes widened as he put his glove back on. "Wow…that's an interesting aura…"

"What? What is it?" Nick said. "Is it bad?"

"No…it's a pretty neat aura, actually. On the inside, there's this darkish red…a very deep and vibrant red…like a crimson color…and it sorta mellows out into a milky white…and then there's these radiating stripes of this super bright gold…I've not seen a aura like that before."

"Would you like to read mine? I'm actually quite interested now. I wonder if mine's gold or blue…or maybe even red…"

"Really? Okay." Bridge said, repeating his aura reading move. He seemed to jump back in shock as soon as he began to read Sorin's.

"Is mine as interesting as his…?" Sorin asked.

"There's a lot of this sort of old gold color…you know when something gold's been around and underpolished for a long time…?"

"Are you calling me old?" Sorin asked. "I'll have you know, I'm the youngest member of-"

"I wasn't calling you old, I'm just saying…there's this unpolished gold color…and it's got these bands of a bright lemon color…it's…odd…"

"Well, it's not as brilliant as I thought it was…" Sorin sighed.

"It's okay." Bridge said, forcing a smile.

Their meals came, and Stella and Bridge began telling Nick and Sorin about everything that had been going on in Rothwood; from the takeover of the town by a splinter cell of the Silver Guardians that aimed to protect the section of Terra that they now stood in, and of how Bridge found out that they had acquired and had begun utilizing a top secret organization that had recently come into the area: SPD, and how the technology that the B Squad used was ten times more advanced than the stuff the two groups were lugging around. They also spoke of how SPD had been studying some of the Hideacs and putting them 'on file', which explains why in his time, they were known entities to his superiors, and then the whole conversation went off on a tangent about fire flowers.

As they finished their meals, they pooled together the payment and stood up. "Well, it's been good seeing you guys, but we should get going. Sky's probably back there all like, 'Oh, Carson's always taking my sister out when they should be staying put, and I'm going to complain because there's a pole up my ass, meh.'" Her impression made Bridge laugh.

"I don't doubt that fact at all." Bridge replied.

Sorin and Nick laughed as the four left for their respective places, Sorin stopped. There was a ring in the air that he hadn't heard in nearly two decades, and he turned to see what was making it. Nick shivered a bit, and once he noticed Sorin turning around, he did the same. Bridge and Stella turned around as well, and they now all saw the slight illumination of the purple Madou Circle. Those who did not recognize the symbol found themselves gawking or taking pictures. Several members of the Silver Guardians were either calling in the situation or preparing to draw their weapons. Stella called for a minor evacuation of the area from the soldiers as Wolzard began to emerge.

"Welcome, Sungel…" Wolzard said once he had fully risen from the Madou Circle, closing it behind him. "I would have preferred to destroy you some place else, but I'll gladly duel you here…"

"I just had breakfast…maybe later?" Sungel squeaked.

"We'll take care of him for you." Stella said.

"What a coward you've become after all these years, hiding behind children…"

"I'm unprepared for a fight, Wolzard. You know damn well that I would chase you to the ends of the earth for your treachery and your destruction, but not today. Today is a day of rest for me…"

Wolzard stood silent for a moment, trying to gain a sense of the magic energies within the group. He then nodded. "I suppose it is, isn't it? Perhaps it explains much of the oddities in the sky in the days gone past…" He looked upwards at the sun, which was attempting to shine brightly through the permanently overcast sky. "No matter…I will just take the lives of your entourage to please the Master…"

"Alright, you purple armored freak, let's do this!" Stella said, swinging her arm in a circular fashion to summon her energy blade.

"Maagi Magi Majiiro!" Nick said, quickly transforming and summoning his sword to assist Stella.

Bridge held up his pistol and guarded Sorin.

"What are you doing that for?" Sorin asked.

"I'm just protecting you…obviously, you're unable to fight, so…"

"I can fight…I just can't give him the fight he wants." Sorin corrected him.

"Well, I'll make sure he doesn't harass you."

"Fine, whatever. I just hope that weapon's strong enough to do the job."

Stella charged forwards and threw in the opening attack, attempting to disarm him by slicing the blade. The two blades clashed, sending sparks flying as the dark magic within the sword acted as a deterrent against the electrochemical energy field the shield was made out of, which kept the blade from being as deadly and devastating as it normally would have been. Stella gritted her teeth as she pulled away and swung again, this time changing her strategy to just knocking the shield and sword from his hands. She swung alternatively between the sword and the shield, making no real headway. She decided then the throw a surprise at him; she ran and jumpkicked the shield and stunned Wolzard, which gave Nick, who she cued to charge Wolzard with an old military hand gesture, enough time to prepare his own attack.

Nick pointed the tip of his sword up directly into the sky, causing his Phoenix Crystal to light up. As he swung his sword around in a circle, a red Magic Circle appeared in front of him. "Jii Magi Gojika!" He shouted, extending his sword through the circle first before charging. A mystic fire engulfed his sword and grew around the tip of the blade. He then leaped into the air, grasping the handle and pointing the blade tip behind him. "Phoenix Fireball!" He swung the blade forwards, connecting to Wolzard's right wolf epaulet and causing an expanding explosion which knocked Wolzard and Stella back.

Stella sat back and watched the rest of the explosion under the protection of her shield. The flames danced mere inches away from her body, and it was a wonderful sensation. "Mmm, toasty." She said cheerily.

Nick then began attacking Wolzard directly with the sword, swinging almost wildly and connecting only with his shield. Wolzard easily found an opening in Nick's defense and grinned. "Zazzado." The shield opened up and blasted Nick at point-blank range, knocking Nick back towards Sorin and Bridge.

"You okay, Nick?" Bridge asked.

"I'm…fine…" Nick said, slowly getting up and running to Stella's side, who was already fighting Wolzard.

"I'll give them some backup." Bridge took out his morpher and holstered his pistol. "Emergency! Ranger Up!"

A blue light shot out of his morpher once he opened it, and the light shot out and engulfed him, forming his suit. His helmet then formed and locked around his head, giving him the cue to holster his morpher. "I'm coming!" He shouted as he built up his D-Blaster.

Sorin frowned as he watched the fight continue on in front of him. "Goolu Golu Goludiiro." He said to himself, snapping his fingers. He waited a few moments, then repeated the motion. Nothing seemed to happen, and he just looked slightly upwards. "Yeah, just as I thought…" He sighed again and began watching the fight once more. "I'm useless."

Wolzard was tired of the fight; this wasn't what he had come to do. "Douza Uru Zazzado!" He shouted, opening up the shield. Three wolves heads shot out of the shield, and the trio braced for impact. Stella grinned and forced the majority of her shield in front of her. "Let's see you get through this…" She commented.

"Gladly." The two wolves at the sides collided with Bridge and Nick, knocking them both out of transformation. The third wolf shot over Stella's head, backtracked, and smashed into her back, shattering the weakened shield and flinging her to Wolzard's feet. He stepped on her back and smiled. "You have all been fairly decent opponents today…I commend you on your bravery and honor. I'll let you live out of respect."

Sorin grimaced and grabbed Nick's sword. "You think you're done for the day?"

"You wish to fight me now with your friends defeated?"

"I'm ready to go." He said.

"Fine by me, Sungel."

"On one condition."

"This condition is…?"

"No magic, no shield. Just two knights and two swords."

Wolzard pondered this option for a moment, then smiled and set his shield down. "No magic of any kind, and only swords…to even the match…no armor for you?"

"I'd request that you remove yours, but I'd rather have the honor of seeing the face of my master's killer when I've killed him myself."

"I'll leave that for you, then." Wolzard replied. "Shall we fight?"

"En garde, Madoushi." Sorin said, raising his sword up and pointing the tip at Wolzard.

The two charged at each other, and Wolzard threw the first swing, which Sorin quickly parried. He then spun around and connected the blade to Wolzard's right epaulet, causing sparks to erupt from the grinding steel. Wolzard swung and caught Sorin's jacket, tearing it a bit. The attack left him vulnerable, and Sorin exploited it with a fierce jab underneath two hunks of metal armor, piercing through the armor and drawing blood. Wolzard winced and stepped back, then quickly recovered and swung back, tearing through Sorin's outfit and drawing blood as well.

The attack caused Sorin to spin through the air and hit the pavement hard, knocking the wind out of him. He quickly gathered his air and strength and stood up, only to once again succumb to vertigo and collapse to the ground. He struggled to get up, but Wolzard had his sword tip pressed against his throat. "Don't get up." He said.

"This is not the Sungel I came here to fight." Sorin crawled out from under the blade. "You fight with a blind courage…cowardice consumes you like this…I will only fight those who fight with courage and honor…and you are not one of them." Wolzard summoned his shield and holstered his shield. "Ugaro Zanga." He said, healing Sorin's slash wound. "Until we meet again. Ujira." Wolzard disappeared.

Nick got up and walked over to Sorin and helped him up. "You okay?"

"…Yeah…" Sorin said faintly, handing Nick his sword back.

Nick then looked over at Bridge and Stella; Bridge was holding Stella close as he stood up and brushed off. "How about you two?"

"We're fine here, Nick." Bridge replied. "A little tired, but we'll be fine." He smiled. "We're heading back to the barracks anyways, so…it was nice seeing you again…"

"Sorry it had to end like this." Nick said.

"Hey, we could use the exercise. Anyways, you're a good guy to work with."

"You wanna come and take over my brother's job?" Stella joked.

"Nah, I'm good here."

"Got ya. Take care." Stella said, waving goodbye as Bridge began walking the both of them back to base.

Sorin slowly pulled Skarpet out of his pocket and the loyal carpet stretched out to accommodate both riders, and they both traveled back to Rootcore silently.

Sorin walked up to his room quickly to avoid questions, which left Nick downstairs for the mini press conference that followed.

"Nick, what's up with Sorin?" Vida asked, concerned.

"He got waxed by Wolzard."

"Harsh." Vide replied as she continued to put books away.

"I think he might've left his wand here or something, because he didn't even try to do any magic…"

Vida turned around and stared at Nick.

"That's not an excuse…Saints don't need staves to use magic. They're at such an advanced level of magic that all they need to do is merely think of the action, and with a snap of their fingers, their element bends to their will. You didn't know that?" Vida said, walking into her room with a few books she didn't put away.

Nick just stared and blinked. "No, I didn't…"

Down in Infershia, Necrolai fumed. "How dare they…they cheated! Those…those other Magicians and their…strange weapons! They al cheated! And the Yellow Magician…Chronojiel should've taken care of him! Why didn't she kill him? This is so unfair!" She shouted as she paced around the main chamber between the pit containing Enma and Midhat and his throne.

Midhat stood up and pointed the edge of his fan at Necrolai. "Stop your insolent whining! You're becoming as useless as Vankyuria!"

Necrolai bowed. "I am sorry, Master Midhat…I mean no disrespect…I just cannot fathom the sudden appearance of these other strange Magicians…"

"Don't just stand around! Do something about it!"

"There's no need to worry about the other Magicians." Wolzard said, walking in.

"What do you mean? They still exist!" Necrolai replied angrily.

"They are not Magicians…they are entirely Faithless. They use Terran things to combat their opponents…and they will be unable to help our enemies, anyways…they are in another town at the moment, doing other things. They are preoccupied."

"Excellent news, Wolzard. And it's glad to see you still on the job…I was becoming worried that you had become too weak to serve the Master…and we know what happens to the weak ones around here…"

"Speaking of weak…" Wolzard added. "I have another interesting thing to note."

"Oh?" Midhat said, hiding his mouth and nose behind his fan.

"Sungel has no magic."

"What?" Necrolai stood up and touched her hand to her heart in shock. "That can't be!"

"How did this come about?" Midhat asked, waving his fan to the side.

"I do not have all of the information…but when I was fighting him, I sensed within him a lack of magic to the point that…he almost felt like a Faithless."

"Are you sure that this was Sungel and not a Terran look-alike?" Midhat asked.

"No, there is not anybody in Terra or Mysteria who looks like Sungel…he looks exactly as I remember him on the field all those years ago…it is Sungel…but there is no magic…"

Necrolai turned her back to the boys as they continued talking. "Perhaps he sacrificed his magic to Chronojiel to save the Yellow Magician…no, no…Chronojiel does not take sacrifices in this way…but it doesn't explain this situation at all…"

She turned back around and bowed. "Midhat, Wolzard, if you do not mind…"

"Yes, vampire?" Wolzard said. Necrolai felt a bit insulted, but she continued anyways.

"I would like to do a little spy work on old Sungel…but I'll need a bit of extra magic to work this all out…"

"If you use it to track Sungel, I have no problems giving you a boost." Midhat replied, pointing the fan at Necrolai. "Or better yet…rough him up a bit…play with him if you want. Maim and torture him…get the Magicians involved. They'll know that he is weak in time, and when they do, they'll be playing Babysitter with him…"

"Then we'll crush whatever Magician is with them, and wait for the rest to come! I want to go through with this version of the plan…there's much more crushing involved…" Necrolai grinned.

"Fine then…Wolzard, stand back." Wolzard took a few steps back and Midhat flipped the mirrored side of his fan upwards and smiled. "Megaro Mezaara Meru Douza."

A black smoke erupted from his fan and surrounded Necrolai, exaggerating her vampiric features and blackening her skin tone to charcoal black, her lips to a blood red shade.

Necrolai growled a vampiric howl and rejoiced over her new look. "Thank you, Midhat…you will not regret this!" She shouted.

"I know that I will not." Midhat replied with a particularly pleased grin. Necrolai shot off into the sky, heading for Terra.

Wolzard sighed, an air of disgust hanging heavily in his breath.

"A problem, Wolzard?"

"That was dishonorable."

"What she wanted wasn't proper, either. If she wants power, have her get it herself." Midhat answered, tossing himself onto his throne. "Besides, we all can't serve our Master equally…only some of us are strong enough to be generals…the rest of us…are pawns." He then erupted into a mad laughter, which was the cue to Wolzard that he should leave.

Sorin sat up in his room, trying to repress his guilt as Kiran began preparing an outfit for him to wear for the rest of the day.

"Kiran, no…" He said. "I'm just going to rest." He said, flopping back onto his pillow.

"Yes, Master…" He replied dimly. He then sighed and turned around. "Master…pardon me if I ask but…aren't you being a bit too…dramatic?"

"I don't know what to do…" Sorin said as he became misty-eyed. "I can't do this, I know that. I can't be human…I need to do magical things…I need magic…" He turned over to face Kiran. "Chronojiel is being highly unreasonable."

"From what you have told me…she is within the Mahou Precepts…" Kiran replied.

"On what grounds?" He asked, sitting up fiercely and glaring.

"Look at yourself, Master! I mean no disrespect but…you're a nervous wreck!"

Sorin stared at the ceiling and sighed. "I don't know what to do, that's why!"

"Well, take a few days to relax here…I know a lot of things can be easily learned by watching the humans! Watch them cook and clean and fight and read and get along without magic! It's very simple, master, if you just try!"

Sorin sighed. "I keep on tripping over my own two feet…what use is learning anything if I'm too weak to do it?"

Kiran sighed. "Then take a day or two off. Rest; you're obviously still in pain…" His words hid the sarcastic tone he wished to take.

It wasn't until the Monday after this incident, which was four days later, until Sorin finally snapped out of it. He walked downstairs early in the morning. Chip and Tsubasa had long been out training, and Nick was downstairs with a cup of coffee.

"Hey, long time, no see." Nick said jokingly before taking a sip from his cup.

"…Hey." Sorin replied.

"You okay?" Nick asked.

"I'm…not feeling good, no." He replied. He still felt a bit light-headed and that was fine to him, but he felt empty inside without his radiant sun magic warming him.

"That sucks." Nick replied. "You need something for it?"

"Maybe…I think I'll find it just fine on my own, though."

"Whatever."

A moment of silence sat between the two. "I'm sorry if I-"

"No need to apologize. Your ego's crushed. It's fine." Nick smiled.

"…Yeah."

"Any reason why you're down here and not moping like you have been?"

Sorin smiled. Nick knew him well, and yet he knew so little besides what Kiran told him. "I just wanted somebody besides Kiran to talk to."

"I'm game. What's on your mind?"

"I…want to get to know all of you."

"…Oh. Well…what do you want to know?"

"Well…I'd like to talk about…you, personally."

"Me? I'm not interesting." Nick said, taking a sip of coffee.

"The humans down here are interesting to me…I mean, every human's got a different scenario in their life…they all have something unique in their lives…it's all interesting to me."

Nick stared at Sorin as if he were on drugs. "Are…you sure Wolzard didn't break your head or something?"

"Not at all! Like I said, I'm interested. See, there's very few of us Saints, and there's billions of humans. I bet you can tell which group is more interesting."

Nick grinned. "I see." He took a sip from his cup. "Well, what do you want to know first?"

"Your family. That is always the most important thing, I think."

Nick frowned a bit and looked down as he set his cup down. "Did I say something wrong…? We can skip it if it's a painful subject to recall…"

"No…I'll talk for the sake of talking."

"If you want to, that is fine."

"Well, there isn't much I can say about my family…my parents both died when I was a baby, and my older sister Sylvie is my only living blood relative. I was a sick kid; bedridden a lot in the orphanage…my sister was always sick too, but she managed to live fine because she's a lot older than me. If Clare's right, then I was sick from this Madou poisoning, and I never knew it."

"Wow, bedridden from Madou Poisoning…that's a pretty violent reaction to Madou." Sorin remarked. "Udonna's daughter never got that sick from Madou…"

"…Udonna had a daughter?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, a little boy, too, the last time I was here. They're probably both dead, though, if they're not here…"

"She was always so happy, though…how could she be so happy…?" Nick seemed confused. "She showed not an ounce of pain…"

"Ignorance is bliss." Sorin smiled weakly, knowing what he said was true. He tried not to get misty-eyed over it.

"I guess." Nick replied. "Should I continue?"

"Please, if there is anything else you care to share."

"Um…" Nick began to think heavily. There wasn't much he could share about his real family besides Sylvie. "Well…um…my sister runs a jewelry shop in Ravenwood, which's really popular with Magicians, so I've heard…she specializes in crystals for the Blue and White Magicians in the town, which I didn't know until she told me…"

"Ah, always surprises with you humans." Sorin joked.

"You're telling me. I didn't know Ravenwood was filled to the brim with Magicians until I was one myself."

"You didn't? How long had you lived there?"

"Almost eighteen years."

"But aren't you the oldest…?"

"Yeah, I moved to Rothwood to become a police officer halfway through senior year…they offered me a good job because my dad was a SEAL…"

"A seal…? Like, the animal?"

"No, SEAL, as in one of the most deadly human military units on the planet."

"Wow. I take it you take after your father, then." Sorin grinned.

"I'd like to think so. He was my inspiration to join the police force…he made me want to make the world safe for people like my sister."

Sorin smiled warmly. "That's really admirable. I mean it."

"You think?"

"The makings of a great leader, I said it from the start. Udonna chose you well…she saw your great potential. Not that I ever would doubt a decision Udonna would make, but making you the Red Magician was clearly her finest decision in my memory."

Nick tried not to look too excited from Sorin's praise. "Um…thanks."

"So, is there anything else?"

"Nothing that I haven't already said."

"Well, these have been good stories, Nick. I'm glad to have heard them."

"Any time, boss." Nick said as he finished off his coffee. "Now, I'm off to do some stuff. I'll see ya later."

"Bye." Sorin replied. He watched as Nick headed for the broom bay and he sighed. He had nothing to do now. That was, until he heard footsteps from above. He looked up and found Vida walking down the stairs.

"Hey, Sorin!" Vida said with a smile. "Good to see ya!" She jumped down the stairs next to the dais.

"Hello…Vida." Sorin said, trying to remember her name.

"Whatcha been up to?" Vida said. "It's all like, you disappear for days, and then like, you show up again and then…"

"Slow down." Sorin said. He couldn't process her use of English as fast as she was speaking. "Your vernacular is perplexing."

"Ah, sorry. I'll try speaking slower." She replied.

Vida grabbed a bag that was left near the stairs, and she began to leave. Sorin jumped up. "Where are you going?"

"You wanna come with? I'm just gonna walk around and do nothing…"

"Of course. Do you mind chatting a bit while we walk?"

"Of course not! Whatcha wanna talk about?" She said as they both walked out of Rootcore.

"Well, I wanna get to know all of you. I'm quite…uncomfortable not knowing my fellow warriors…I could tell you the life story of everybody in the previous wars before you, but…not any of you."

Vida bent down to examine a leaf. "I get what you mean. I hate not knowing Nick and Chip all that well, too. Well, maybe not Chip…he's really…angry. He's a grump most of the time…but he's got a lot of strife to deal with…the war's taken a lot away from him, and it's easy to understand why he's just very uncaring…"

"I see…" Sorin replied softly. He thought of Bridget automatically; how her town had been destroyed, and how bitter she became because of it. He remembered the times she fell down and cried in the middle of a meeting, how she wanted the fight to end…but she never gave in. He smiled a bit as Vida collected a few leaves and walked onwards.

"Um…so what do you wanna know?"

"Well, who are you? What's your family like?"

"My name is Vida Rocca, and I live right here in Briarwood with my sister Madison and my dad."

"I see."

"It's been the three of us for a long time, and Maddie's always trying to be Mom. It's cool sometimes, but she doesn't have her own life, ya know? I mean, I don't get to have my own life either…but she could at least have anything she wanted if she tried."

"Why can't you have your own life?" Sorin asked.

"Because Maddie refuses to let herself break free." Vida replied. She turned around with a strong, closed lipped smile. "You wanna go into town with me?"

"Sure."

They walked into town together, and a few of the women who passed by stared at the duo. Sorin, although he was millions of years old, his human appearance was that of a man in his mid 20's; however, he still looked too old to be going anywhere or doing anything with Vida, who was barely older than Chip.

"Don't worry about their looks; they're just hating on us. They're jealous that I'm hanging out with the Patron Saint of the Sun." Vida smiled.

"Well, I'm not sure if they know who I am, really…" Sorin said, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm not one to be gallivanting around without my armor…"

"Oh. Well, I know who you are, so I guess that's all that matters." Vida replied.

From a rooftop, Necrolai smiled. "First, to soften them up."

In front of Sorin and Vida, a Madou Circle suddenly opened up, revealing a small group of Hideacs. They fought them hand-to-hand with ease, no magic required. Necrolai snarled. "I guess that I'll have to do this myself!" She jumped down and began to glide towards Sorin.

A Saint Pentagram opened up beneath Sorin as Vida turned around and stepped forwards to attack, spiriting him away from the battle. Vida fired off a small tornado, knocking the Vampire Duchess off course, into a building.

"Ha, nice try!" Vida said. "That was a good shot, wasn't it So-" She looked behind to find him gone and the final remnants of a Saint Pentagram fading away. "So…running as a tactic…good one…" Vida gave a look and continued onto her destination alone.

Sorin looked around at his destination; the enormous room was painted all in white, and long tapestries that hung from the ceiling and touched the floor bearing the golden symbols of all the different kinds of magic stood around him. Other than that, the room was empty. He walked forwards and continued to look around for a sign of life. "Hello?"

As he continued to walk forwards, a woman sitting on a throne appeared in front of him in the distance. Her throne nearly touched the ceiling, and her head nearly reached that. Her long white hair flowed down to her seat, tied in cords and held back with a white tiara and cowl. She wore a long, flowing robe trimmed in silver and gold lace. She pulled out a pair of simple, gold-framed opera glasses and looked down at Sorin. "…Sungel, is that you?"

Sorin was stunned by the sound of the woman's voice. "…Ma…Majiel…?"

"Oh boy, what took you so long?" Majiel said, quickly teleporting him forwards. "I summoned for you hours ago…and you come dressed like this?"

Sorin looked down, feeling rather stupid.

"I…can't…"

"…Can't what, my dear little sunshine?" Majiel spoke in a motherly tone. "Can't change? That's ridiculous."

"I have no magic…I was a fool…" Sorin said, looking at the floor.

"A fool…?" Majiel seemed concerned. "My dear Sungel, this is not you at all! Where is the courage my dear Bragel taught you to focus? Where is your light that leaves you all aglow?"

"Chronojiel was right…I'm an unfit Saint."

Majiel frowned. "Ah, my fellow Arch Saint Chronojiel…I knew she had something to do with all of this…" Majiel sighed. "She's like a wicked stepsister sometimes…always trying to show her power over my children…" She stood up and shrunk down to Sorin's size with a flick of her opera glasses. She placed a warm hand on Sorin's shoulder. "My child, for a moment in time when you were created, you were vulnerable to the world, as you are now. Chronojiel has only done so much as reduce you to this point in time; this lack of magic is reversible." Sorin politely nodded. "Besides, you always have the magic of life within you, regardless of the lack of any other magic. Life is the most powerful of magics, and it's not to be squandered by thinking that it's useless. You are as wise as Bragel was brave; I believe that you will find a way to override Chronojiel's harsh ruling on you."

"If you believe in me, then I'll try as hard as I can."

"Now, go back out into the world with the young Magicians. I can bet that they're wondering where you are."

"Will you come with me to visit them?"

"Oh no, child…my place is here. Your place is with them, defending the world, even if you can't at the moment. Remember, As long as there is something to fight for, you will always have the tools to fight at your disposal."

"You're so wise, Majiel." Sorin said, bowing.

"Oh, the Terrans and Mysterians taught me that. They have taught us all that." She smiled and waved her opera glasses, creating a Saint Pentagram and teleporting him back to Terra. "Sungel, the poor boy…" She sighed. "He'll find his light again soon, I hope…for the sake of the Terrans…"

Sorin appeared back in Rootcore to find an upset Vida waiting for him. "So, where'd you go to?" Vida scolded as she continued to keep her arms crossed and leave a sour look on her face.

"Majiel summoned me and-"

"Yeah, nice excuse." Vida scoffed. "Between you fighting half-assed without magic, you being a total flake and disappearing often, and now you just running off in the middle of a fight, I'm beginning to wonder what kind of warrior you are."

"But I'm telling the truth!" Sorin said as Vida began walking off. "What would I gain from lying to you?"

Vida stopped and stood, pondering the answer. "You are an ally and a friend; to spread lies within the group, regardless of severity…it happened once before to me, and I promised to uphold my honor and not follow those actions."

Vida looked down. "…Do you swear on your life that you're telling the truth?"

"I do. I swear on my life that I am being honest."

Vida turned around. "Then I'll take your word." Vida gave a serious look. "Break my trust, I take your life. Got it?"

"I understand." Sorin replied.

"So…tell me…what happened?" Vida dropped her gaze and her arms.

"It's…a long and complicated story…" Sorin said nervously.

Vida listened anyways, to all that Sorin had to say. He confided to her about the severities of his problems, to which Vida didn't believe it. However, she believed him, and promised to not tell anybody else. She then spent the rest of the day trying to acquaint him with the many things he could do on his own without magic.

Two days went by, and still nothing more than minor attacks. Necrolai was laying low from her defeat, it seemed, and it gave Sorin a steady piece of mind. He tried to talk to Madison and Xander, but they were always absorbed in their tireless work; Xander and Yuri were constantly busy taking care of Xander's plant, and Madison was always hard at work studying. However, he always found Chip to be out at the archery range. He smiled and ran out to greet him.

"Hey, Chip!" Sorin said. Chip didn't reply as he fired off his arrow, striking the target perfectly.

"What?" He hastily said, drawing out another arrow from his quiver with great speed, reloading, and firing again.

"…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude…"

"What is it, Sorin? Is it important?" Chip asked, repeating the motions.

"No, no…I just wanted…a friendly conversation…"

"Take up a bow. Then I'll talk." He replied calmly.

Sorin complied and grabbed a spare bow that sat on the rack nearby and made his way over to Chip's side.

Chip looked over and smiled. "Hi there. You wanna talk?"

"Yes, I'd like to." Sorin replied, standing nervously.

"Don't be a stranger; grab an arrow and fire!" Chip said, slapping Sorin hard against the back, knocking him forward a bit.

"O…okay…" Sorin said, grabbing an arrow and stringing the bow. Chip stayed quiet while Sorin aimed, and once he fired, he commented.

"You arced that one a bit too high…" Chip said before it hit the target. As he nearly predicted, the arrow hit above the bull's-eye. "Thought so."

"I'm not one for being right on the mark…I'm usually not shooting such small targets."

"It never hurts to try." Chip replied. "Watch me. I'll go slowly."

Sorin took a step back and watched Chip slowly move through the motions of his shot. He conjured up a magic arrow for the occasion, so as to not disturb the other arrows. The light the arrow gave off in the overcast dusk helped Sorin see just where the arrow should be, how everything should be arced…

It was then he realized that there was little to ask Chip; watching him at his craft was almost enough. As Chip fired off the arrow and watched it hit the target perfectly, he smiled. "Did you see that alright?" Chip asked.

"…Yeah…" Sorin replied.

"I'll go collect the arrows, since we're now out."

"Can we talk on the way over?"

"Sure, since you seem so intent on asking me something." Chip smiled. "So, what do you need?" Chip said, lying down his bow and making his way over to the target.

"I…I came to ask you if you'd indulge me in some information about you, but…watching you shoot those arrows with such precision…"

"It's taken me my whole life to be this good. I've been firing a bow since I was old enough to stand up straight and walk on my own." Chip looked a bit glum. "This is what I know."

"I see…I take it you're a professional warrior."

"Well…I've never been drafted to go fight Infershia in an army…I've never been paid by the kill…but I guess you could call me professional."

"I see. Is this something you wanted to do…or is there something else to it?" Chip stopped mid-step and stood still. "…Did I say something wrong?"

"Just a moment of silence before I answer." Chip replied with a weak, closed-mouth grin following behind. "I'll answer…give me a moment, though."

"Okay." Sorin stood next to him, also observing the silence. Chip sighed heavily and looked over.

"My family and I were Wind Scouts…unfortunately, I'm the only one of us who lived to stand here by grace or lack of treason."

"Oh…say no more." Sorin said. He knew who the Wind Scouts were. The Wind Scout order had been around for a long time; they were almost zealotous in their quest to save the world from Infershia, and while there was no official organization of troops within the group, all of the groups that were involved were family units. The thought of treason in Chip's family seemed horrible, and for the rest to die off…with all of this known by the poor Yellow Magician, Sorin didn't need to know anything more.

"No, the more I talk about it, the better I feel. I don't cry anymore about any of it…my parents wouldn't want me to be sad…we all knew that death was coming for us, and we never knew when it would get us…it's the price we pay for saving this place that isn't even our home."

"I know the feeling…" Sorin replied, looking up towards Magitopia. "But there is something to fight for, be it for ourselves or others…" Chip smiled and continued with him to collect arrows to continue practice.

The next morning, Sorin found himself sore from all the practice he had got in, and when Kiran began to shake him to wake him up, he was less than friendly.

"What…?" He growled.

"Master…Miss Snowjiel left me a summons this morning…she wishes to meet with you in Ravenwood."

"Ravenwood…? That far away? Why is she there?"

"She's with a friend." Kiran replied. "Somebody whom you should visit…a 'pretty raven', she called her."

Sorin shot up. "I'll get dressed." He replied quickly.

Sorin quickly got ready to go out, grabbing Kiran's lamp with him; he'd need somebody to talk to on the long ride over, anyways. Sorin was incredibly excited to be visiting Snowjiel and Sylvie; only, he wasn't quite sure if Sylvie would remember him.

He landed near the Crystal Snowflakes jewelry shop and found himself having to hide the lamp, as well as the carpet.

"Don't worry, master…I'll handle this…I'm a master of hiding!" He tied the lamp to his waist, then snapped his fingers, creating a thick cloud of smoke around himself.

The smoke from his spell disappeared leaving in Kiran's place a very pale adult male with light blue eyes, wildly styled red hair, a black trenchcoat, and white gloves. "See Master, I have learned quite a few tricks to avoid being spotted. He smiled, revealing a perfect smile. "See? I don't look out of place!" Sorin looked around and saw quite the contrary, as did Kiran. "Well, at least I look like one of those punks in those bands…" Sorin snorted and began walking away. "Hey! Wait up!" Kiran said.

As Sorin opened the door to Sylvie's jewelry store, a bell chimed lightly, entrancing Kiran for a moment as Snowjiel greeted Sorin.

"My oh my…you look so…plain!" Snowjiel said as she hugged Sorin.

"And so do you, Crystal." He replied, remarking the blue jeans, snowflake scarf, and heavy wool sweater she was wearing.

"Just trying to blend in." She replied back.

Kiran smiled. "Lady Snowjiel, how are you?"

Snowjiel looked over at Kiran and gasped. "Oh, dear Kiran, is that you?"

"Ah, yeah…" Kiran said, scratching the back of his head.

"It's good to see you too." She said, hugging Kiran as well. "You two are kinda chilly…especially you, Sorin." She said. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, am I cold feeling? It may just be that I'm finally out of my armor." Sorin joked.

"Probably. I don't think I've ever seen you without armor on…I'm liking the look." Snowjiel replied.

"Ah, thanks. I'm getting used to it." Sorin looked around. "So…where's our little raven at? I heard she was here."

"I'll go get her, hold on." Snowjiel then walked into the back room of the store, then reappeared with Sylvie. "Here she is…" Snowjiel said happily.

Kiran looked a little shocked. "…Sylviana?"

"Yup, that's me…do I…know either of you?"

"That's Sorin and Kiran, remember? They look a little odd today, though."

"Oh! Kiran!" Sylvie walked over and hugged Kiran. "How are Nick and the others…?"

"Oh, they're good. Nick's up and about now, and everybody's doing pretty good."

"Good to hear!"

"Sylviana…that's a nice name." Sorin said, slightly trying to get attention.

Sylvie looked at him and smiled. "I like it. It's so…inconspicuous. It makes me think of home."

"I see." Sorin smiled. "So…I don't get a hug?" Sorin asked, giving a sad face.

"Of course." Sylvie hugged Sorin tightly. "You've become a bit of a goofball from the last time I saw you."

"And you're a lot older and nicer from the last time I saw you. Although…was it ever possible for you to become nicer…?"

"Are you calling me an old hen…?" Sylvie said, giving Sorin a look.

"Uh…no! I'm just saying…the last time I saw you, you came up to here on me." He pointed out the area between his bottom and second to bottom ribs.

"You'd better not be calling me old." Sylvie said, lightly punching him in the ribs. "You're the older one of us anyways…though you don't look it."

"Why, thank you."

"So…what brings you to Ravenwood?" She said, leading the duo to the counter.

"Just visiting. Heard you were here, so…"

"Oh, how sweet! You came to visit me!" Sylvie said. The bell rang, drawing Kiran's attention.

A woman with frizzy blonde hair walked in, looking around at the various boxed items. Snowjiel smiled and walked up to her.

"Hi there!" She said pleasantly. The woman looked up.

"Hi." She replied, her voice devoid of cheer.

"Can I help you find something?" Snowjiel asked.

"I'm just browsing." The woman replied in the tone she used before.

"Let me know if I can be of assistance." Snowjiel replied, backing away slowly.

"Thanks." The woman replied snarkily.

"So, Sorin…how goes the good fight out there?" Snowjiel asked, using euphemisms.

"It goes well…"

"Could you remind Mr. Aka to visit on the date he should remember?" Sylvie said.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Sorin replied. The blonde woman walked up to the counter with purple, red, green, and yellow prism crystals. "Just these…could you wrap them delicately?"

"Of course." Sylvie said with a smile. Kiran and Crystal were standing behind her and began imitating Hideacs for Sorin and Sylvie to give their thoughts on her. The woman left in a hurry, and a few moments later, Kiran's disk rang. Kiran picked it up and it glowed slowly as he began to speak. "Kiran and Sorin here."

"Guys, something's up in Briarwood. We're on the case, but if you two wanna back up, that'd be good."

"What's going on?"

"Well, portals are opening up everywhere, but nothing seems to be happening…we've been asking around, and nobody seems to have a clue."

"That's…unusual."

"We'll be there soon!" Kiran said happily, closing out the conversation.

"Kiran…" Sorin said, giving him a motherly scolding look.

"What? I didn't lie! I said 'soon', which could mean anything!"

"He knows the Terran nature well…" Snowjiel said.

"Ah, how vague the word 'soon' is…" Sylvie smiled. "Want some tea?"

"That would be nice…"

The blonde woman walked down the lane with the bag in hand, eagerly awaiting the one whom she bought it all. "Where the hell are you…?" She whispered. "You're going to make me walk forever, aren't you?" She muttered. She sensed movement nearby and she snarled. She was being followed. "Ugh…you…" She turned around as the air became staticy behind her.

A tall, lanky man with neatly short trimmed blonde hair and frigid brown eyes stood behind her wearing a long plum trenchcoat that was buttoned up tightly around him, making him look even more frail and drawn out.

"Great Enma, it took you forever." He spat, swinging his right arm outwards and looking downwards in disgust. "Do you have them?" He coldly asked.

"I dived into their territory for these…you should be grateful that I came out alive." The woman snipped.

"On the contrary; you should be thankful that I kept those brats away from you."

"You didn't have to. Three of their people were in there!"

"Curses…well, no harm, no foul."

"Take your crystals and leave me be." She said, giving him the box.

"Ah, thank you, my dear…" The man said, grinning wickedly. The woman walked away into the fog that was beginning to drop over the town.

The man sighed as he gazed at the box. "I was hoping she'd be destroyed…but I guess there's nothing that can be done about that…and she got me the right crystals, anyhow…finally…some useful things are coming from her again." He walked off and disappeared into an alley, leaving behind a trail of purple light.

Sorin and Kiran arrived at Rootcore several hours later to a group of angry Magicians. Xander and Yuri quickly left the room as he arrived, as did Chip, who led Tsubasa outside.

"Where were you guys?" Madison asked in a calm, yet stern, tone.

"We saw some suspicious activity where we were, and we were checking it out ourselves…we knew you guys were busy, so we did our own investigative reporting." Kiran replied. He had planned ahead.

"What exactly was going on that was suspicious?" Nick asked. Kiran felt a bit intimidated, but he stayed diligent.

"We were called on by Snowjiel, who is currently working at a jewelry store with an associate of ours…they reported to us that…suspicious customers…had recently visited the shop looking for…specific things…used in…a ritual used by Madoushi." Kiran slowly pieced together his story, drawing on the suspicious woman's appearance from earlier on.

Did they say what kinds of crystals were being bought?" Clare asked.

"Well, see…there are…MANY, many…different kinds…of rituals, and crystals, yes, crystals…and it's hard to tell-" Kiran lost his cool, but Sorin stepped in.

"They weren't specific on the details, but we didn't ask. I trust that when Snowjiel requests our assistance on such matters, she tells us everything that is important." He said.

"I see…did you catch anyone?" Nick asked.

"Well, we followed a few people…" Kiran replied.

"We didn't apprehend them…" Sorin added.

"But we followed them!" Kiran stated.

"So, your day was a failure?" Nick dug deeper.

"Hey!" Vida shouted, stepping up between Nick and Clare. "Back off!" Madison looked over at Vida.

"Sis…?"

"He's the one here with the most experience tracking Infershia. We shouldn't be playing Twenty Questions with him!"

"But we spent the enti-"

"So did he!" Vida interrupted Nick's complaint. "Can't you trust his statement? He's a Saint, for Majiel's sake! He knows what he's doing! He obviously thought we had the situation under control. He trusts that we can check out a disturbance without getting ourselves killed."

"Exactly." Sorin said.

"Fine, whatever." Nick said, tossing up his arms. "I'm going to bed." Nick began to leave, but Sorin stopped him.

"Sylviana requested that I remind you of a date that you should remember and that she wishes to meet you on that date." Sorin said. Nick thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

"Thanks." Nick said softly before continuing his walk upstairs.

"I'm going to bed too." Madison said, leaving the scene as well.

"I have cleaning to do upstairs." Clare chided before following Madison. In the room stood Kiran, Sorin, and Vida, all of them silenced by nervousness.

"I'm…gonna go help Clare out before going back into the lamp for a catnap." Kiran said nervously before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Vida stared and the floor as she ground her foot into the spot she was staring at while Sorin scratched the back of his neck. For a moment, there was nothing but awkward movement until Sorin spoke up.

"So…you didn't have to protect me like that." Sorin said.

"Nick would've broken you soon. Nobody can lie around him, even you." She replied with a smile as she looked up.

"Thanks." Sorin replied, reflecting a smiled back.

"Hey, no problem." Vida replied. "Besides…what kind of help would you have brought if a fight broke out?"

"Yeah…"

An awkward silence filled the air. "So…what did you do today?" Vida asked with a smile.

"I met with somebody who could help us. Somebody I've been looking for." He smiled widely. Vida gave an awed look. "I wanted her to come and visit, but she wouldn't come with…"

"I see." Vida said. She then hugged Sorin. "I'm gonna wake up tomorrow and make a breakfast for everybody. Is there anything you want?"

"Ugh…not really." Sorin replied. He chuckled as she let go of him. "Ya know, from what I hear about you from everybody else…I'd think they were liars."

"Why's that?" Vida asked nervously. "What…do they say about me?"

"That you're aggressive, tough, and tomboyish."

"Well, I am, but I'm friendly, too!" Vida replied. "I can be nice and cheery like my sister if I wanted to…I just don't want to most of the time."

"I see…" Sorin said.

Vida let go and looked up to Sorin. "So…wanna try to have another walk together to my house? Ya know, get out of the Tree of Grumps."

"Um…sure."

"Awesome." Vida then led Sorin out.

The sun rose slowly the next morning, and Sorin woke up in the Rocca Girls' large mini-forest of a garden, lying at the foot of a willow tree. He sat up and ruffled his hair, realizing that he needed a shower. He turned around and saw Vida standing about thirty feet away with the family tea tray in hand, servings for two.

"I told Maddie you were still out here." She smiled as she walked forward. "I take it that you kinda miss Rootcore…? I told ya you could go home."

"Oh, it's not that." He said, brushing off his red, long-sleeved shirt and his blue and mustard yellow jacket before he got back in order. Vida sat down in front of him, leaving a space for the tray. On it sat a teapot, two tea cups, a few mini ham sandwiches, and a dozen or so scones. "Oh, this looks nice."

"Everybody's inside, but I thought that I'd just bring this out here for you and me. I like coming out here, too." Vida said, looking up. "So, what were you saying?"

Sorin grabbed a scone and poured himself some tea, dunking the scone in the tea and bouncing it ever so gently to soak it. "I was saying that it's peaceful out here…it was so comfortable to just lounge and relax…and I just conked out."

"Yeah, I know how you feel…" Vida said, gnawing lightly on a small sandwich. "My mom made this garden for all of us…and when she passed, Madison made it her duty as a Green Magician to keep it alive…Maddie blamed herself for mom, and this is her redemption. This is her way of making sure mom's work never goes in vain…" Vida smiled softly and sighed. "Maddie can't let go…"

"Why does she blame herself?" Sorin asked, taking out the scone and biting into it.

"She thinks she caused mom's accident…but it was nobody's fault, really. That's why it was an accident; nobody made it happen, nobody planned it, and there was nothing anybody could do about it afterwards. Life gives you things that you must overcome, and when they hit you, you have to stand strong and take it. I took the hit, as strong as it was, but Maddie hit the floor. That's okay, though, because dad and I are here for her, and I don't mind taking care of her." She took a sip of her tea. "I'm the tough sister, and if my big sister is sad, I cheer her up. If she needs help in her garden, I help her. If she needs a hug, I give her one. If she needs a shoulder to cry on, both of mine are cleared off for her. If somebody starts trouble with her, I knock them on their ass. That is just what I do." She smiled. "I guess…I guess that's why everybody thinks I'm such a brute."

Sorin smiled brightly, then laughed. "You're a good sister."

Sorin heard a ringing sound emitting from his jacket pocket, and he reached inside to hear his call. "Hello?"

"Hey, could you meet me at Rootcore?" Kiran asked. "Are you busy?"

"Is it an emergency?" Sorin asked.

"Oh, no, just wanted to talk to you about something…in private."

"Okay, lemme finish breakfast first."

"See you soon!" Kiran hung up.

"Ah, the relativity of the word 'soon'." Sorin said with a smile.

An hour later, Sorin arrived back at Rootcore, where Kiran stood smiling. "How are ya, boss?" Kiran said.

"I'm good. Whatcha want?" Sorin asked.

Kiran grinned. "I want…you!" He bared his feline fangs and hissed. Sorin stepped back and panicked.

"Kiran, what's wrong with you?" Sorin said, inching closer to the door.

"Kiran…who?" He swung his arm and the façade faded away, revealing the man in the plum trenchcoat.

"…Taranis…what have you done with Kiran?" He shouted, lunging at Taranis.

Taranis flicked his wrist and out popped a steel mirrored Vescia piscis out which, with a quick sleight of hand, he turned into a fan and used to slap Sorin in the face. "Oh, he took a trip with a friend. If you want him back alive, you'll come with me."

Sorin frowned angrily, as he realized he had no choice. "…Fine." He replied, giving Taranis something to laugh about.

"Oh, you knights and your chivalry…it's so damn hilarious!" He said, waving his fan. "Now…march!"

Sorin sighed as he arrived in the center of Briarwood, where the blonde from the crystal shop stood holding Kiran in his human form hostage.

"Master, forgive me! They swarmed me!" Kiran groveled.

"It's not your fault." Sorin replied.

The woman was leaning against the Briarwood Fountain, the pride of the town that stood nearly thirty feet tall, and was adorned with a simulacrum of Majiel with a book in her hands. Sorin looked up and sighed happily.

"Oh look, the once-mighty Solar Knight has arrived," The woman cackled, transforming back into Necrolai. "now it's a party!" She shouted, tossing Kiran to the ground. Taranis followed suit, transforming back into Midhat and tossing Sorin so hard against the ground that he bounced.

"So, who do we behead first?" Necrolai asked, charging up her new little powers.

"I don't care, just sacrifice them and return to Infershia quickly. We have the ceremony to begin."

"Yes, Master Midhat." And with that, Midhat left the scene.

"The sun shall fall first!" She shouted as Sorin began to brace for impact.

The blow never came, only the clanging of steel against hardened claws, which caused Sorin to look up. Wolzard stood in front of him, a look of horror painted on Necrolai's face.

"Outta my way, Wolzard!" She shouted.

"I will not allow such a slaughter to happen as long as I am around. There is no honor in slaughtering the unarmed and debilitated, Necrolai."

"Who cares about honor? This in Enma's day to return!"

"Enma…is alive…?" Sorin muttered in awe under his breath. "Fintan's sacrifice…was in vain…?"

Necrolai, understandably pissed, turned her attention on Kiran, who was right behind her. A Madou Circle appeared beneath the four, transporting all but Necrolai away from the scene.

Kiran opened his eyes and found Wolzard standing over the emotionally torn Sorin.

"Stand up, Solar Knight." Wolzard said, sticking the tip of his sword against the middle of Sorin's forehead.

Sorin looked up. "You…saved us…why?" Sorin had the feeling that Wolzard was staring him directly in the eyes, although he couldn't see anything inside the helmet.

"I fight for Infershia, but I fight in my own way. I will never fight an enemy who has no defense; you're unworthy of death, Solar Knight. I know not where your power has gone over the last two decades…nay, the last two weeks…but I will not allow my allies to fight you unarmed." Wolzard sheathed his sword and began to walk deeper into the forest.

"Wait." Sorin said as he stood up and noticed that he was right outside Rootcore. Wolzard stopped.

"Yes?" Wolzard replied.

"How did you know to bring me here?"

"…I'm not sure, but I knew that this was the spot that was safest, where I could leave you uninterrupted." A brief pause, then he continued. "Do not expect this generosity from me again."

"I won't." Sorin said harshly. "When I get the chance, I will honor my master's memory and destroy you."

"I look forward to the times you try." Wolzard said, smiling. He then disappeared back down to Infershia.

Sorin and Kiran walked inside and sat down at the table. They heard footsteps and looked up; Nick was carrying a large box downstairs.

"Hey." Nick quickly said, trying to avoid a conversation.

"Where are you going with that?" Sorin asked.

"Who are you, my dad? If you wanted to know, you'd stick around the group and find out for yourself." Nick snapped back sarcastically.

"Hey, I'm sorry for not being around often, okay?"

Nick sat down the box. "You'd be sorry if you took the time to try and be with us, like a member of this group."

"I'm trying to adjust to all this-"

"Adjust? You can't adjust? I went from a technological society with no magic to a magical town with no technology. I sleep on a tree bark mattress with goose feathers poking out of my pillow, I can't ride my motorcycle anywhere without causing a scene, and to top it off, my life is in danger 24/7 because I'm out there busting my ass and saving the world. What the fuck are you doing that's so tough that you can't adjust?"

"I have no magic, okay?" Nick was taken aback by the statement. "I can't adjust because I'm used to doing things with a snap of a finger, and now I'm useless!"

Nick stood there, thinking of a response. Once one entered his head, he fired it off. "Nobody just 'loses' their magic; you did something to lose it, obviously." Nick laughed a bit in pain. "That's so lame…you have this problem, and you don't bother to tell us about it? How long has this been? Since that fight?"

"Since I approached Chronojiel to save Chip."

"That long?" Nick shouted, quickly becoming livid. "What if we really needed your help? What if shit happened and we weren't around to save your ass? Then what? You'd be dead, that's what!" Nick tried to calm himself down, turning his back slightly to avoid looking at his source of rage, lightly touching his forehead with the tips of his fingers.

"It wasn't like I asked her to do this to me! I'm not powerless on purpose!"

"You're a coward! You're a lying coward who couldn't admit that he was powerless to the people he should trust."

"Vida knew-"

"And only Vida knew! " Nick said, turning around and shouting once more. "You don't trust us…why?"

"I hardly know any of you besides Vida, and I only know her because I got her to talk to me."

"You should trust us, regardless. Do you think I trusted everybody in the group when I first got here? No, but I made the effort to trust them, because when you're tossed in a new squad, you gotta trust them with your life, because you never know when your next assignment may be the one where trusting them will save your life. I know Chip didn't trust us, and he's had a hard time finding his place here. You just gotta trust us, and we'll trust you. If you believe in us, we'll believe in you, and if you have a problem, we'll help you." Nick picked up the box and sighed. "I can't believe that you don't trust us…you don't have any faith in us, and you're certainly been a coward since you got here…I guess you just don't deserve your magic. That's fine; the six of us can do things on our own." He walked for the door, then stopped. "I guess since you asked nicely, I'm moving stuff into Xander's house because I'm staying over there for a few nights so I can sleep on a real mattress." He then left.

Sorin turned around to talk to Kiran, but he had conveniently slunk back into his lamp to sleep. He stared at the crystal ball, which was glowing slightly blackish, grabbed the lamp, and left.

Necrolai sat at the fountain in the town square, waiting for somebody to come and get her. She was hardly disappointed when she saw Sorin walking closer.

"Oh! Back for a second round, Solar-less Knight?" Necrolai jeered, cackling like a hen.

"You bet." He said. He bent the handle of Kiran's lamp downward, startling the cat genie from his slumber.

He poked his head out and started griping. "Hey up there! Trying to sleep!" He then looked around and spotted Necrolai. "NYAH! Master, why are we out here with her again?"

"Oh, what a good question! I was about to ask myself why you're sacrificing yourself today? Well, today is a good day for sacrifices…in fact, every day's a good day for a sacrifice! But then I guess the question is…why so willingly?"

"Because it's my duty as a knight to protect those beneath me, regardless of whether or not I have the means of doing so that I am used to using."

"Master…?" Kiran looked up at Sorin's face and saw nothing but a serious look upon it.

"I may not have my sun magic, but still have my life…" He smiled as he gave the Majiel statue a quick look. "and life is the greatest magic of them all. I promise to use whatever I have to stop you, because it is my duty to do so. I can't just sit around and feel sorry for myself…I have to do something…even if I have to sacrifice all I have to do it!"

"Master, I won't allow it!" Kiran shouted, locking himself up into the lamp.

"You're still my faithful servant, Kiran. You have to obey my wishes…unless you want to go back where I found you."

"Okay, okay! Fine, anything but prison!"

"Then get ready for battle."

"Yes, Master!" He shouted.

He ran his hand a few times over the spinning disc as he silently marched forwards toward Necrolai. He growled, bared her fangs and claws, and charged at him at full speed. Just as she got within ten feet of him, he dropped to one knee and pointed the Solar Lamp's gun tip forwards. Necrolai didn't have time to stop, and she ran into the gun's tip, jamming it into her own stomach on mistake. He grinned and pulled the trigger, releasing a bright silver light from the gun that knocked her back into the fountain. She sat up in shock as Sorin stood up.

"You don't have magic! How can you even attack me like that?"

"I don't need my magic to fight you. I can do it myself!"

"Careful, Master…" Kiran said as Sorin charged up the gun a second time.

Sorin charged Necrolai and she swatted him, knocking him back and drawing blood. On his way to the ground, he fired off another shot and hit her in the face.

"Agh!" She shouted, sliding across the ground from the blast.

Back at Xander's house, Xander's ears perked up as he helped Nick carry the magic-operating television Nick had alchemed out of several glass and metal objects in the study out into the main lounge. "Hey…does anybody hear that?"

Clare looked up. "Hear what?"

"It's like the twinkling of a bell…is somebody ringing a meal bell…? I mean, totally wrong time of day for lunch or tea…"

"My wand!" Clare jumped up and shouted.

They set the TV down and tested the reception. It worked as if it were hooked up to a premium network in Rothwood, receiving news from both Ravenwood and Rothwood, and if Briarwood had a news station, it would have been picked up as well.

"Guys! Move!" Clare shouted at Nick and Xander as she ran in with her wand. She pointed the Snow Crystal at the TV, causing the image the crystal ball was showing in Rootcore to appear on the TV screen. The image of Sorin being assaulted by Necrolai appeared, and Vida gasped.

"Let's get going!" Vida said, grabbing her wand that was on the coffee table.

Nick decided to expose her at the moment, right in front of everybody. "Why should we go out and help him? I mean, he's the Solar Knight, right? He can just bust out his Knight Armor and whip Necrolai into next week!" His grin implied to Vida that he knew that she knew that he was straight out lying.

Vida glared at him. "You're an asshole."

"Oh, why am I an asshole, Vida? Care to share things with the rest of us?"

Madison looked up at Vida, and the rest followed.

"He confided in me with the utmost trust, Nick. I'm gonna guess that you weaseled it out of him."

"He was just sitting around, doing nothing! He's done nothing but run away!"

"It's not his fault! The time he left, I was upset, but it was Majiel's fault that he just disappeared!"

"And you believed that?"

"Yes, I did! I still do!" Vida said, stepping up to Nick and staring him straight in the eyes, which wasn't hard to do. Xander found it almost comedic that they were nearly the same height, but he kept himself from laughing and dulled it to a smile.

"Then you're an idiot."

"No, I believe what people tell me, even when I don't see it. Call me gullible. Call me naïve. He had no reason to lie to me ever, so why would he?"

"What's going on here?" Clare asked.

"Sorin has no powers." Vida said. "There, I broke our confidence. You happy, Nick?"

"In fact, I am. You've been playing cover-up for him, and that's just as bad as lying about it!"

"He was afraid that you'd become condescending towards him if you knew! He didn't want to seem like a burden!"

"Well, now he is one, because we gotta bail him out of this fight!"

"Both of you, stop it!" Madison stood up and gave a stern look. "Both of you are fighting like children when our friend-"

"He's not my friend." Nick said. "He lied to us. Deceived us. He could've put us all in grave danger."

"It's not like he planned this!" Vida said. "He didn't just ask Chronojiel to take away his magic. She did it to teach him a lesson, and it's our job as his partners to help him overcome this problem!"

"Vida's right." Chip said. "We've all got issues, and sometimes if they're really bad, we don't wanna talk about them, but if they're affecting our lives, we're going to need somebody's help eventually." He then smiled weakly.

"Right. I'm sure that if one of us was in trouble, Sorin would help us." Xander said. "Besides, he may have lied to us, but it's our duty to help everybody who needs our help, even if they don't deserve it."

"We help everybody, Nick. We're the defenders of those who can't fight Infershia on their own, even when they've lied, deceived, and flat out tossed wool hoods over our eyes." Clare said.

"I'm going." Vida said. "I'm a dependable friend."

"We're all going." Chip replied, standing up. "…Right?" The group, minus Nick, all nodded. "Oh, good, because if I was the only person besides Vida, that would have been incredibly awkward."

Madison smiled as they all picked up their wands and left, leaving Nick to think for a moment. He sighed. "Fine." He huffed and ran out to his broom.

Necrolai jump kicked Sorin in the face, drawing blood once more and cackling. Sorin bit his lip as the warm liquid stung his lips as it reached the surface of his skin and kissed the autumn breeze.

He kneeled down for a moment as the Magicians ran up behind him.

"Sorin!" Vida said, running up to him.

"Stand down, Vida." He said, getting up slowly.

"But you wanted my help…"

"Not now. I will handle this on my own." Sorin said, biting his lip and letting the copper liquid run back through his system. "I can't sit around feeling sorry for myself. I'll never get my magic back that way."

Vida stepped back as he went to walk forwards, understanding fully what he meant. He took a few steps forwards, then fell to the ground. Kiran immediately exited the lamp and began helping Sorin up.

"Nyah, you keep on falling like Udonna after she gave birth to Conall…Master, you should really stop this." Kiran made sure the conversation didn't travel any farther than it had to.

"I won't."

"Are you stupid? Doing this proves nothing."

"It doesn't matter." Sorin said, looking at Kiran. "I can't just sit around and not fight, just because I have no magic. A knight without his sword still fights with his bare hands." He smiled weakly.

"Oh, this is a stupid game! I'll just kill you all here!" Necrolai shouted, lunging at Sorin.

"Jii Magi Majika! Phoenix Breath!" Nick had run up beside Sorin, and he had aimed the tip of his sword at Necrolai, and as he spoke the spell, the sword burst into flame and became a giant flamethrower, which partially incinerated Necrolai. She jumped to the ground and rolled off the flame, then quickly got up and kicked Nick's sword out of his hand and furiously attacked him with her claws, forcing him to drop out of transformation. Sorin hadn't even been able to react, the movement was so incredibly fast.

The remaining Mystic Force members still suited in their Mystic Armor charged Necrolai, only for her to subsequently beat them all out of commission. Kiran refused to let his master do any more harm to himself, but Sorin refused to stand around.

"I let Fintan go senselessly…why are you stopping me?" Sorin shouted, finally shaking free of Kiran's grasp.

"Sir, this is not a game!" He shouted.

"So, I've defeated your children…now to finish you!" Necrolai cackled. She lunged, and Kiran jumped out in front of Sorin, taking the blows and falling to the ground, disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

Sorin had taken the time to charge up the lamp with all the energy he could muster during Kiran's defense of him. "If this saves the lives of everyone in this town…then I'll have nothing to feel sad over…Master Fintan always taught me that to sacrifice one thing for the good of many, then it is a good choice…" He smiled as he aimed his Mystic Lamp Blaster as Necrolai came within a close range. "Master Fintan lived this, and so will I. Honor comes not without sacrifice…" He braced himself for the shot. "The world depends on me, and by Majiel's grace, I'll finish this…"

He pulled the trigger, draining the last of his energy, and the wide beam that erupted from the Mystic Lamp knocked Necrolai clear across the town square.

Sorin exhaled, and he dropped the lamp, then collapsed to the ground. It was then that Kiran reappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Agh, my regeneration time isn't as small as it used to be…" He muttered, dusting himself off. He then saw Sorin lying on the ground, apparently sleeping. Kiran's eyes widened as he panicked. "Master!" He shouted as he dropped to his knees and frantically started to shake Sorin.

The shout perked Vida up, and she began to shake off her injuries and get up. "Kiran, could you lend a hand?" She asked. Kiran scurried over and helped Vida up, a look of terror painted on his face. "Kiran, what's wrong?"

She saw Sorin lying on the ground and she gasped and ran to his side. She went to help him up, but Kiran brushed her away. "It's no use. I begged and I begged…I told him to be careful…"

"Is he…?" Vida was becoming misty-eyed. Kiran did not respond, which caused Vida to cry. "I should've stopped him…it's my fault…"

Kiran patted her back and offered a handkerchief for her to dry her eyes with. "You couldn't have stopped him, even if you tried your hardest. He was set upon doing this himself, ya know."

"I should have at least helped him…"

Necrolai stood up and growled, heavily weakened but still not out. Vida growled and quickly transformed. "Jii Jiruma Majika! Aerial Spikes!" Vida spun the prongs on her staff as she pointed tot staff upwards. The air forged into sharp spiraling spikes that slammed into Necrolai. She showed minimal damage from the attack, which stunned Vida.

"Do you honestly think I'm done…?" Necrolai said, clutching her chest. She bared her fangs after tossing a few bombs at Vida.

"I'll buy you time." Kiran said, moving Vida away from him. "Spin the disc a few times, then fire." He said, tossing her the lamp.

"But…"

"Hey, it's the only thing that's worked. Go wi-ah!" The bombs struck Kiran, splashing caustic fluid all over him that singed his fur and burned into his skin.

"Kiran!" Vida shouted as he fell to the ground. "Okay, I guess this's my only option…" She spun the disc twice, then aimed and fired. A golden pair of tightly spinning tornadoes fired out of the lamp's gun barrel, striking Necrolai and causing actual damage. Necrolai took a few steps back, looking stunned.

"Okay…Kiran…" She said.

"Yes?"

"If I wanna do a spell, do I have to do something special?"

"Spin the disc…three times…ow…hold on…" Kiran snapped his fingers and transported himself into his lamp to heal. He popped his head out to speak. "Okay…three spins per spell word, got it?"

"Right." She said, nodding. She spun the disc three times. "Jiruma!" She spun the disc another three times. "Majika!" She spun the disc again. "Golu!" She spun it three final times. "Gojika!" She then aimed the Mystic Lamp at Necrolai. "Ready, Kiran?"

"For Master Sorin!" He shouted, turning himself into a giant golden cloud.

"Okay!" She grinned. "Solar…" Her finger steadied over the trigger. "Wind!" She pulled the trigger, releasing a dozen golden wind spears that flew about, all focused around Necrolai. They swarmed around her and as they hit the ground, they burst and expanded, trapping her within the golden winds. A large gold and pink-tinted cloud shot out acting like a tornado, shooting straight through Necrolai. The cloud stopped, as did the winds, and Necrolai fell to her knees.

Kiran stopped spinning and returned to his cat genie form, trying to recover from the numerous revolutions he had just done. "World…spinning…must…ack!" He fell on his back, but quickly stabilized. "Okay! Back up I go." He stood up and brushed himself off.

Vida lightly laughed, then snapped her fingers. "Checkmate!" She grinned. "Give Morrigan my regards when you see her!"

The rest of the group had slowly gotten up during this time, and they all seemed shocked at the scene they had recovered to. Kiran magically teleported to her side, and she dropped out of transformation.

"We did it!" She smiled, jump hugging Kiran.

"Master Sorin smiles upon us." Kiran said, causing Vida to stop cheering and begin to whimper. "Oh, stupid me…I'm sorry! Please don't cry…"

"What's going on?" Nick asked.

Vida looked back and flashed him a dirty look, then went back to crying on Kiran's shoulder.

"He's not…dead…is he?" Chip asked, nervous. Kiran gave a pained look. "Oh…"

"What happened?" Madison asked.

"It's my fault." Kiran said. "I did not assert myself in stopping him from using his life energy to power the lamp. I should have been tougher, even though I am bound to follow his commands."

"I…I should've said something…" Vida mumbled. "I…I should've convinced him more earlier…"

Nick sighed. "I was rude to him. Maybe I pushed him too much…maybe it was what I said…"

"You asshole." Vida said.

The group fell silent as they began to circle around Sorin's body. Vida bent down and began to lift Sorin's body up off the ground. "He deserves a proper warrior's burial…" Halfway up, everything froze.

Chronojiel stood in front of the fountain, looking at the frozen scene in front of her. She pondered the situation unbiased; not only had he given his own life to the cause, but he instilled a passion to continue his work in others. She looked to the statue above her of Majiel, and thought about her own choices. "I do not usually find myself judging in these matters, dear sister…" She smiled softly and nodded. "Right. Your Magic Precepts are law, I know."

She stepped closer to the group and nodded. She placed her staff firmly against the ground and spun it counter-clockwise, causing it to emit a translucent gold light that shot upwards and floated down over Sorin, causing his skin to brighten a few shades. She snapped her fingers and all returned to normal.

Sorin's eyes shot open and he gasped in shock. Chip and Madison clutched each other with vice grips. Vida jumped with excitement, nearly dropping Sorin.

"Good morning, Magicians. I come to visit you once more, but this time I'm not killing or enslaving any of you." Chronojiel said in her stern tone. "I came because even I must follow dear Majiel's Precepts, and when courage and faith are acted out by an individual, the individual is blessed with magic. I would've kept you dead if I didn't have to follow this, personally, but, what Majiel decided upon is something that even I, Chronojiel, must follow."

"I'm grateful that you're being merciful." Sorin said, standing up.

"So am I." Vida said cheerfully.

"Although, I am putting restrictions on you." Chronojiel gave Sorin a look.

"What?" Sorin asked, worried.

"Since you are dwelling with the humans, I am decreeing that you are to act accordingly. This means keeping to the form you are now in, and using a wand and spells to perform intermediate magic. I think it will be a good learning experience. I'm sure that you can handle this on your own, right?"

"Of course, but I don't have a wand of my own."

"Then I'll give you one!" Chronojiel summoned a gold, palm-sized trinket, lined in blue steel, with a red steel finger trigger, vaguely resembling the Mystic lamp's handle. Sorin's Saint symbol emblazoned the trinket about midway down the trinket, and a circular hole in the top contained a small Sun Crystal. She handed the trinket over and grinned. "As a Saint, you should have a more luxurious wand. Just say the spell, and pull the trigger. Very simple. This, when transformed, will also be your sword. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Now, for other matters to attend to…I feel…a coldness around…is somebody forcing somebody out of my ballroom…?" Chronojiel turned around.

Chip felt the coldness as well, and he walked cautiously to Chronojiel's side. Necrolai was writhing on the ground where she lay, a black cloud surrounding her. Chip looked nervous as he muttered "Soul Curse."

"You know of this, Yellow Magician?" Chronojiel asked, looking at him.

"I've seen it done before. Too many times for comfort." Chip replied coldly.

"A Soul Curse?" Nick asked.

"It's when a Madoushi focuses a target's life energy to power up the target…but if the target dies, its soul is consumed by Enma."

"I hope he likes black and rotten hearts." Vida joked.

"Well, it's guaranteed that we'll never see her again, then." Madison said.

"Tis a pity. She was one of the more interesting children of mine…" Chronojiel said. "Well, what's done is done. I must depart, Magicians. No more favors from me, got it?" The group nodded. "Good." She slammed her wand against the ground, and a Time Seal opened up beneath her, transporting her in a flurry of silver sparkles.

"Talk about a grand exit." Chip said. "Well, Necrolai's toast, I say we go celebrate!"

"Chip, you're a sick fuck." Vida said. "But hey, whatever."

"Ah, but you think I'm amusing. Admit it." Chip smiled widely.

"You're sick in a funny way."

"See? Knew it." Chip grabbed Madison and dragged her off to the brooms; the rest followed.

Down in Infershia, Midhat cheerily placed crystals around Enma's prison. "Ah, she's gone now…more energy for you, Master…" He had placed seven crystals around the circular prison and locked them in place; white, red, yellow, blue, pink, green, and purple. "Soon I shall have everything for you…" A purplish light traveled from the top of the Hellpit and traveled into the purple crystal. The crystal then glowed with a very faint purple light. "Necrolai's life was hardly worth the magic it took to capture it…she was as worthless in death as she was in life!" Midhat waved his fan as he walked to his throne and sat down. "No matter…I will have all I need soon…"

Sylvie stood at her bedroom window in the apartment above the jewelry store, staring at her left hand in deep thought. She then fell to her knees and cried. "I miss them all so much…" She said. "But I don't want to be with them…" She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I miss Conall so much…" She held herself tightly and rocked back and forth, trying to calm down.

Back at Rootcore, Vida hugged Sorin tightly and smiled.

"Oh…thank you, Vida." Sorin said.

"You were really brave!" Vida said cheerily.

"Um…thanks…I think." Sorin blushed. "I'm sorry…I'm not sure how to respond."

"You don't have to say anything!" She replied.

"So…what to do…" Nick said, looking around.

"Archery party!" Chip shouted. Everybody stared at him as if he was crazy. "What? Archery parties are fun! You can't deny it!"

"Chip, it's no fun to play against you! You always win!" Vida replied.

"Yeah, hence why they're so fun!" Chip commented with a grin.

"…FOOD FIGHT!" Clare said, magically creating pies and tossing them about. The rest of the group followed suit, and soon the room was covered in pie filling which Tsubasa happily began to munch on.


	27. Interlude: The Last Supper

The days went by, and the 30th finally arrived. Sylvie woke up slowly and cried softly for the first few minutes of the day. She sniffled and sat up as Crystal knocked on the door. "What is it?" Sylvie said with a faltering voice.

"Gift-o-gram for Miss Sylvie!" Crystal said.

"Come on in…it's unlocked." She said, wiping her eyes with her pajama sleeve.

Crystal opened the door and sighed. "Don't cry…today is a cheerful day. It's the first day of your life." Sylvie smiled weakly as Crystal handed her a box. Sylvie opened it and gasped.

"Why're you…giving me this?" Sylvie asked, taking out the crystal tiara that belonged to Crystal.

"I want you to have it. Wear it…today, you are a snow princess." Crystal smiled. "Besides…I wanted you to come with me today."

"No…Nick and I are having a birthday party, just the two of us."

"Oh, Nick…right…" Crystal smiled. "He's just the person I thought he would become…"

"Me too. I'm proud to say he's my little brother." Sylvie smiled. "I should get ready for that, shouldn't I?"

"Yeah, but don't forget the tiara!" Crystal said as she walked out. "The Marauders wanted me to come home, so I am. I want you to wear that gift until tomorrow, got it?"

"Fine, fine…" Sylvie got out of bed as Crystal disappeared in a Saint Circle.

Nick got up and smiled. "Today's the day…" He said, jumping out of bed and into the shower. "Today's my sister's birthday…today's my sister's birthday…" He began to sing over and over. Ten minutes later, he finished up and walked into his room and stood over his dresser, staring at an old photo of the two of them after Nick had been accepted into the Police Academy. "I need new pictures…and something good to wear…" he opened up the top drawer and stared at the box Toby had given him, and the box Sylvie had given him. "Perfect, perfect…"

Nick ran downstairs and spotted Vida fixing up breakfast alongside Clare, Yuri, and Madison. Chip was out hunting in the forest with Tsubasa, Xander was busy pruning his still-blooming plant, and Sorin was practicing magic with his new wand. Sorin looked up and blinked.

"Nick, you're wearing a hooded robe!" He exclaimed. Nick decided to wear a tee-shirt and jeans under the red robe Toby had given him for his birthday, as well as wearing the wedding rings Sylvie had given him; he wore his father's on his left ring finger, and his mother's around his neck on the charm necklace.

"Yeah, Toby messed up a bit…but it's nice and toasty, and Rootcore's a bit frigid."

Xander yawned, which caused Yuri to toss Koumori-chan at his head and snap him out of his bout of tiredness. "Ow!"

"Good!" She shouted. "Stay awake or no pie!"

"I'll try…" Xander said.

Yuri turned back to her cooking, and Madison gave her an intrigued look. "What's wrong with Xander?" She whispered.

"The cold is affecting him badly…all he wants to do is sleep…it gets worse and worse every morning…"

"Heh, he's a giant plant." Vida joked softly, then suddenly fell silent. "Oh, that's not good for us, is it?"

"Not at all." Madison whispered back.

Nick smiled. "I'm off to spend time with my sister!" He shouted, heading for the broom bay.

"Majiel, he's too cheery." Vida said. "It's cold as Infershia outside, and he's all, 'Let's party!'…that's so not Nick."

"Oh well. How often does he see his sister lately?" Madison replied.

"…Point taken."

"I say we all go spend the day at my house…I can keep it nice and warm there…" Xander said, trailing on and off.

"Sure, right after we make breakfast." Yuri said.

Nick spent a good part of the day walking about Ravenwood, buying things for his meeting with Sylvie. He then put into action the process of getting Madison a motorbroom of her own, with just enough time to send it off to her on its own before visiting Sylvie.

Night time fell over Ravenwood, and Sylvie waited patiently for Nick. She wore a white and red sari, along with a shiny diamond choker. She put her hair up in a twisted bun, and set the tiara on top, her bangs hiding some of the tiara's long prongs that kept it on her head. She had noticed that some of her bangs had prematurely turned white from stress, but it didn't bother her much. It was her birthday; she was supposed to be cheerful.

She walked over to the icy orb containing the box and she smashed it. "You'll be very safe, very soon." She smiled. She then went back upstairs and conjured up a large dinner for two, then walked back downstairs and waited for Nick.

Nick walked in about ten minutes later and surprised Sylvie as he produced a camera and snapped a shot of her. "You look like a queen today!" Nick said with a smile.

"My friend made me wear the tiara." Sylvie replied, touching it slightly.

"You look awesome, sis." Nick said.

"As do you!" She replied. She then noticed the rings. "Oh, you're wearing their rings…" Sylvie teared up a bit. "That means a lot to me."

"I thought it'd be best to bring our parents in spirit today." Nick said solemnly.

"Of all the times to do so…" She said, both nervously and cheerfully.

"So, are we gonna have dinner or what?" Nick said.

Nick and Sylvie walked upstairs and sat him down at the kitchen table, where a large meal sat waiting for them. "Oh, wow…you must've spent all day cooking."

"Not really…" Sylvie said. "Sit down, I'd like to have a little chat over dinner."

"Sure!" Nick said, sitting down across from Sylvie. It was like old times for Nick; him and Sylvie hadn't sat together for dinner like this since the night before he left for the Police Academy in Rothwood.

"Ooh, I smell curry…where is it?" He asked, looking about. Sylvie pointed it out. "Your curry is always awesome."

"Thanks." Sylvie said. "I hope you enjoy it."

"Oh, I always do." Nick smiled. "So sis, what'd you wanna talk about?" He said as he began to eat.

"Well, I…" Sylvie sighed and grabbed a bit of curry for herself. "I wanted to know…have I been a good sister?"

"Just good? You've taken care of me for as far back as I remember, you've always done things for me, and you've been there for me, even when I doubted myself. You're the best sister anybody could ask for." Nick replied in a semi-shocked tone. "Why would you think any less of yourself?"

"Well, I've just been thinking…worrying that I didn't do everything right. I've felt that…maybe…maybe you thought I was a bad sister."

"Of course not!" Nick replied. "Why do you think that?"

Sylvie sighed. "Well…I…" She sighed again. "Would you be mad if I didn't tell you things? Things that would've hurt you?"

"What kinds of things?" Nick asked as he stopped eating.

"Little things, I guess, that don't really matter now…little things that have come and gone…" Her eyes kept going back and forth between his neck and his face, so she blinked and stared him in the eyes. "Does that make me a bad sister, Nick?"

"No. You were trying to protect me." Nick smiled softly. "You were doing your job as my older sister."

"That makes me feel better." She replied.

"Enjoy tonight." Nick said. "It's your birthday."

"You never know if things will be like this again." Sylvie replied quietly as she began to eat. "Have a breadstick, Nick. They're just sitting there."

"Okay." Nick grabbed a breadstick and poured himself some tea. "I miss this, just you and I…"

"I do too. I wish we could have more days like this…" She replied.

"I wish every day was like this…but knowing Infershia, they'd become the ultimate party crashers." Nick laughed. "God, I've been so miserable lately…I really needed a break."

"Well, glad I could cheer you up."

The two finished dinner and Nick cleaned up. Nick held up the camera once more. "Can I get a picture of the two of us?"

"Of course." Sylvie replied. Nick alchemed a tripod out of some utensils and set it on the table, resting the camera on top. He then set the timer on the camera and wrapped his arm around his sister. They took a cheerful pose and the camera took the picture, much to Nick's delight.

"Finally, an updated picture for my dresser." Nick said with a smile.

"I hope it was a good picture…"

"It's you and me, and we're looking good. Of course it's a good picture."

"That reminds me…you're wearing the hooded robe. I just noticed that."

"Ah, it's nice and warm, that's why."

"You look very nice in it." Sylvie said.

The two were silent for a moment, then Nick perked up. "Oh! I nearly forgot." Nick pulled a card out of his pocket. "I've never been good at gift-giving, but I tried."

"Oh, I didn't want anything…I wanted to just have dinner with you…but thank you." Sylvie smiled and opened the card. It was humorous and caring, and she laughed. "Thanks." She smiled and hugged him. "Oh! I have a gift for you, too!" She handed him the box that Snowjiel had given her.

"What's this?" He asked. "The box feels like ice…"

"I had it up in my freezer. I don't know why I had it in there…sorry about that."

Nick found it strange that even though the box felt like ice, the contents inside felt as if they were on fire. He went to open it, but Sylvie quickly grabbed his hand. "Don't open it here."

"Why?"

"I want you to open it in Briarwood or Rootcore. I know what it is, and I know that you would be happy to see it, but I want you to open it amongst your friends. Will you do that for me?"

"Of course." Nick replied.

A chill wind filled the air. "Let's go downstairs, shall we?" Sylvie said.

"Yeah…I think your heater's broken." Nick replied.

Downstairs, Sylvie stopped and looked outside. Nick stood next to her, wondering what was on her mind.

"Nick…" Sylvie asked in a distant tone.

"Yeah?"

"Could you…promise me something?"

"Promise you what?"

"Will you…think of me when it snows?"

"Sure…why?"

"Winter will be coming soon…and it's always been my favorite season. I know that things are getting worse for you Magicians…and this may be the last time we see each other for a very long time…so will you think of me when it snows? Will you think of me just dancing around the snowflakes like when we were younger?"

"Of course. That was one of my favorite things to watch during the wintertime…" Nick sighed. "It's sad, though…that you're probably right."

"Yeah…" Sylvie sighed. She then tightly hugged Nick and gave him a warm sisterly kiss on the cheek. "I'm getting tired…seems I'm an old hen now…"

"Old hen? You're only thirty-two. If you're an old hen, what am I? Middle-aged?"

Sylvie laughed. "Ah, I guess I'm not an old hen yet…" She smiled. "But I am going to go to bed. You should go back and open that gift." She winked.

"I should." Nick replied. "Take care. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay." Sylvie said with a smile. As Nick approached the door, she spoke up. "Thank you, Nick…this has been the best birthday I've ever had."

Nick smiled widely. "I'm glad."

Sylvie waited a moment and sighed, knowing full well what awaited her upstairs. She slowly walked up the stairs, thinking of Nick. "Mother, give me strength." She said, taking out her wand. She slowly opened the door and walked into the kitchen. As she approached the doorway, a sword came down in front of her.

"I knew you were here." She said coldly.

"Where is it?" Wolzard asked.

"I don't have it." She replied.

"Do not lie to me, child. Where is it?"

"I don't have what you came here to get. Now leave."

"I'm not leaving without it, girl. Its energy still lingers within these walls, so you're hiding it!"

"You'll never have it. It's far gone from here. You merely feel the resonance."

"I'll just have to take you instead." He replied. He sheathed his sword and reached out for her. Before he could even get close, Sylvie whipped out her wand and shot out a beam of white light, knocking Wolzard into the wall and freezing him to it.

"I saw you coming long ago for the amulet…I saw you here…I know what my fate is…and it is not to be your captive."

"I never said you'd be my captive…" Wolzard said, breaking free. "I merely said you'd be coming with me…back to Infershia. Never said you'd live long there."

"I don't intend to see Infershia!" She shot another ice blast from her wand, but Wolzard threw up his shield and the blasts shot around the room, tossing large ice crystals through the walls.

"Then I'll bring it to you…" His shield opened up. "Zazzado." The blast threw her into the wall, but she got back up.

"Get out of my house." She said. "There is nothing here for you…"

"On the contrary…" Wolzard laughed. "Zazzado!" Sylvie conjured up an ice shield that deflected the blasts and tossed them into the ice crystals.

Sylvie fired off another blast and ran downstairs, and Wolzard sent more of the ice crystals bouncing off his shield. She quickly grabbed a quartz crystal and attached it to the end of her wand. Wolzard followed her downstairs and she fired off a multiple blast of ice crystals at him from where she was hiding. He was hit several times, but he wasn't weakened enough to stop moving.

"Enough of this cowardly fighting! Show yourself!" He shouted.

Sylvie stood up. "I'm not a coward!"

"You're afraid of me. Admit it."

"I'm not afraid of death by your hand…my father suffered that fate, and I would gladly take it over being taken to Infershia."

"I suppose that I shall deliver that." His shield opened up again, and the beams shot around bouncing through the prisms and crystals and several struck Sylvie.

Sylvie growled and stood up. "Father…Mother…prepare me a place…" She sighed and focused her energy into the quartz crystal. "Pruina Novus!" A large array of ice crystals exploded from the quartz crystal.

Midhat waited impatiently for a white light to meander downwards to the white crystal, but to no avail. "Where…where is it…?" Midhat felt cheated. "WOLZARD!"

Wolzard walked in. "Yes?"

"Where is my life energy?"

"It…it did not arrive?" Wolzard was confused.

"What's going on?!" Midhat panicked.

Snowjiel heard the sirens blaring in the distance. She quickly retrieved the tiara and sighed. "It's begun…" She spoke and she disappeared back to her home.


	28. Interlude: The Lightfire Amulet

Nick arrived cheerfully at Xander's house to change into some normal clothes before going back to Rootcore. The glow of the television set shone outside, and Nick grinned. "Wonder what they're watching. Probably some crazy sitcom."

Nick walked inside to a painfully disturbing silence. The group had adjusted the large couch in the main lounge to sit right in front of the TV, and everyone's eyes were glued on it.

Chip sat in front of the couch, staring and studying the screen. Madison was crying in his lap. Clare had her face buried in her hands with her back to the TV, crying heavily. Xander, who had dropped the remote, stared in awe as Yuri clinged to him. Sorin was on the verge of crying himself, and Kiran and Vida were trying to comfort him.

"Hey…what's…going…on…?" Nick said, becoming nervous as they all looked up at him. Clare sniffled and walked over, hugging him tightly.

"We're so sorry…" Clare said.

"What's going on?" Nick asked, confused.

"You didn't hear…?" Clare replied, sniffling. "Xander…turn the thing up…"

Xander was zoned out, but Yuri nudged him. "Wha?" Yuri pointed to the remote, which was currently sitting on the floor behind Chip. "Oh." Xander picked up the remote and turned the volume up as Clare walked him over to view the screen. A female newscaster was speaking on a local Ravenwood news station.

"Local law enforcement authorities believe this to be an isolated incident, however, there were no signs of forced entry, but the lot has been completely destroyed by what appears to be giant hunks of ice…" The screen cut to the scene outside to a view that was slightly above and to the left of the Crystal Snowflakes jewelry shop. Nick gasped and dropped the box Sylvie had given him.

"Several mediums in the town have come forward to state that this is no random act; that the victim in this incident was a prominent member of their society, and that around the time that eye witnesses cite first hearing the disturbing explosions was around the time they all began to detect a surge in what they call 'Madou Energy', which is the same sort of telltale energy that they correlate with such events as the sudden Gates of Hell catastrophe that occurred several months ago…"

"Oh god…" Nick dropped to his knees, and Clare followed him down. "I just left not even an hour and a half ago…" He began to tear up. "I knew I shouldn't have left her…"

"The local authorities are dismissing the mediums' claims and keeping with their statement that, while this does seem to be a sort of paranormal incident, that they are keeping all options open."

"We're so sorry, Nick…" Clare said, crying again.

"She wanted me to leave…she must've known…" Nick felt guilty for leaving.

"There's nothing you could do. You probably would've died, too…" Clare replied.

Chip's keen eye picked up on the box Nick had dropped; it seemed to radiate a great warmth. Chip went to pick it up, only to be shocked. He pulled his hand away. "Ow!" He said, drawing attention. "The box…it shocked me…" He reached out again, to make sure it wasn't a fluke, and once again, it shocked him. He chuckled a bit, drew back his hand, then did it again once more, laughing even harder. Madison punched him in the leg, and he stopped.

"The box is shocking you? Is it your magic, maybe?" Sorin asked, looking up in curiosity. "Do it once more." Chip did it again, and something caught his eye. "A Lock Seal?"

"Lock Seal?" Vida asked.

"It's a highly advanced spell…it's to keep certain things from falling into the hands of people they're not intended to reach…usually Infershian hands. Nick, did you bring the box in?"

"Yeah…"

"Then I want you to open it. If you've touched it and carried it…then the seal was directed to only you."

"If you think I can…" Nick said. He picked up the box and attempted to open it. The Lock Seal shattered underneath his touch, falling down into little fragments of white light. He then opened the box slowly, and was shocked to find something entirely different from what he was hoping inside.

Inside, a silver helm's chain necklace sat lied out, and at the very bottom sat a medium-sized charm; a diamond cut in the shape of an elegant pair of angel's wings connected in the middle by a burning flame. A layer of garnet sat in the very middle of it, imitating the shape of the diamond shell it sat in. A thick band of silver outlined the entire piece and secured the amulet to the chain.

Sorin stared in wonder, as did Kiran.

"That's where it's been all this time…" Sorin said softly. "She had it all this time…it's no wonder now…why this's happened…"

"What…what is this?" Nick asked.

"The Lightfire Amulet…I haven't seen it since…" Sorin looked down.

"Lightfire? I thought it was Firelight…" Clare said. "Maybe I was just reading it backwards…" She looked back at the Lightfire Amulet. "It's much better looking in real life, to be honest…books don't do it justice."

"What is it?" Nick asked, looking at it. The warmth that radiated from it was felt by all in the room.

"It belonged to Fintan…it's all that's left of him…" Kiran said.

"Blagel's charmed amulet that was said to repel any sort of darkness; it was said to be the thing that made him the best Warrior Saint in all of Magitopia. In the last war, though…it failed him, and Wolzard destroyed him, bringing back to the surface Blagel's good luck charm as a sign that the great warrior was no more…" Clare said, reciting what she had read from memory.

"This isn't right…" Nick said.

"What isn't right?" Chip asked, stroking Madison's hair as she slowly recovered.

"This box…this box sat on the mantle in my sister's house for years…it was my father's…this box was supposed to have his dog tags in them…not this stupid amulet…"

"Stupid?" Sorin said, feeling insulted. "That thing was the one thing that helped my teacher, my master, into victory against Infershia…and you desecrate his memory by calling it stupid?" He stood up, aggravated with Nick.

"This isn't what was supposed to be in this box! The only thing they sent home that remained of my dad was supposed to be in here!"

Chip smiled widely, and as the two continued to butt heads, he shouted. "Stop! Everybody, just shut up!" Xander turned the TV off as Chip leaned Madison against the couch before standing up.

Sorin and Nick stared at Chip and his wide grin. "What is it, Charlie?" Sorin asked.

"So lemme get this straight…" Chip stood there, scratching his head to think quickly. "Okay…can I see the box for a moment, Nick?"

"…Sure, but quickly." Nick said, handing Chip the box.

"I'll make this quick." Chip held the box up and stepped back so everybody could see him clearly. "So, this box contains one item, right?" The group seemed to be following him. Chip held the box so that the center of the box, from Chip's point of view, was pointing at Nick. "Okay, so Nick here says that the box contains the final remains of…well, let's call him Mr. X." Chip then lined up the box with Sorin. "Sorin here, he says that the box contains the final remains of Blagel. Is everybody still following me?"

"So…you're saying that…maybe…" Vida was trying to insinuate her point without saying it, and Chip knew that she knew.

"Maybe Mr. X…equals Blagel?" Chip said with a grin.

"Yeah." Vida replied.

"Are you high?" Nick asked. "Blagel isn't my father! He's a Saint!"

"So?" Sorin said. "He was married, and he had two children with Udonna! Being a Saint doesn't mean much, as far as living a normal human life goes." Sorin retorted.

"Still, that doesn't mean my dad's Blagel."

"You said you're adopted, and your dad died a long time ago…" Chip replied.

"I never told you that!" Nick replied.

"Tsubasa told me about it. We here having a flying lesson and while we were cruising along the sky, he mentioned it. I'm honestly surprised about what goes on around Rootcore when I'm not watching…it's like a play here on the TV behind me where you can hear people laughing, but it's all disembodied…" Chip took a breath. "Anyways…"

"I guess I'll have to watch my mouth around him, then…" Vida said.

"Yeah, you should." Chip replied. "He's catching your habit."

"You're a bad Aunt Vida!" Madison replied, weakly smiling and she mock-scolded Vida.

"Still, all this doesn't mean anything." Nick said. "My father's not Blagel."

"Then why did Sylvie give you this box and tell you that what was inside was the remains of your father when it's really the remains of some other guy? Did she have a reason to lie?"

"My sister wouldn't lie to me."

"Then why would she lie about this?"

Nick looked down and pondered her words from earlier. _"Would you be mad if I didn't tell you things? Things that would've hurt you?"_

"She said that she lied to me before…she lied about things that would've hurt me…things that have come and gone…"

"I want to see that box." Sorin said. Chip handed him the box, and Sorin started examining it. "This is definitely a Mysterian box. Definitely."

Nick stayed silent, thinking.

"Okay, fine, Nick. So she lied to you about the box. But…but why? Why would she have a box that wasn't of any relevance to you or your family, and why would she lie and said that it was something meaningful to you?"

Chip stared at Nick with pleading eyes, wanting some sort of answer. Nick looked at him. "Maybe…maybe to glorify my father…I don't know…"

Sorin stood, thinking. "Mmm…if you are Sylviana's little brother, as I have been told that you are…then Charlie's right."

"Sylviana is her full name, yeah."

"It's her full adopted name, true." Sorin replied. "As I can assume that 'Nick' is also an adopted name."

"No, my name is Nick. Nick Russell."

Sorin sighed. "This all doesn't seem to make sense to you, I'm sure…" Sorin said. "Bits and pieces have come and gone…but if Charlie is correct, and if what I know is true…then this might be simultaneously the best and worst day of my life…"

Sorin summoned the chair in the corner to teleport over to directly behind him. He sat down, which gave the others a reason to turn around and face him. Nick crossed his arms as Sorin began to speak. "About three decades ago, we all lived in Rootcore; the Marauders, Snowjiel, Lunajiel, Blagel, Udonna, and I. We lived very much like all of you do today. Back then, Udonna was Snowjiel's apprentice, and Blagel was the leader of our group, and Udonna tried her hardest to fit in with the group. She was a refugee from Mysteria, while the rest of us were all prominent members of our collective societies. Blagel always preached to us the importance of protecting and caring for all whom were on the side of the Light, be they Faithful or Faithless, and he showed it in his mannerisms towards this poor, outcasted peasant girl whom Snowjiel took under her wing."

"It sounds like me…" Clare muttered.

"We all knew that they were a wonderful pair, as they were eclectic in their wants and needs from those around them; even though they really had nothing in common, they were alike in many ways. They vowed to have a family together, and they did so after a few years of Udonna being brought into Rootcore. They then found that Udonna was with child, and their firstborn was a lovely little girl named Branwen. They decided to have another child as Branwen grew up, and about twenty or so years ago, right before the great cataclysm, little Conall was born."

"Conall…what a nice name…" Madison said, leaning against Chip.

"It's an interesting name." Chip replied.

"What a stupid name." Nick quipped.

"All was well, until the Gates of Infershia rose, and the world was once again plunged into battle. Branwen took care of little Conall as Udonna, who had grown to be a powerful Magician on her own, and Blagel went out into battle. The final battle came to be, and Blagel willingly charged the Gates of Infershia on his own, making Lunajiel lock the Gates behind him with an incantation that she had created especially for the occasion. This left Udonna worried and heartbroken, for days went by and Blagel had not returned."

"Then, one day, a being from Infershia summoned us; he proclaimed that his name was Wolzard, the Madoushi Knight of Infershia. Of course, none of us knew who he was, for he was either new or well hidden within Infershia. He continued on, saying that he had slaughtered Blagel in combat. Of course, then, none of us believed him. He then produced the Lightfire Amulet as it burned away at his armor, and he tossed it at us, laughing at our misery when we realized that he told the truth. I went to fight him, but he disappeared as quickly as he came."

"Wow…" Vida said. "Wolzard killed Blagel…"

"And Udonna…" Xander said.

"And now Sylvie." Chip added.

"Indeed. After this incident, Udonna sealed away the Lightfire Amulet in a box, and she disappeared from Rootcore along with Branwen and Conall, and that was the last I saw of them, since shortly after, I took up the helm of guarding Raigel's remains, since I had been weakened to a point by him where I couldn't do much else."

"This is a nice story and all, but…ya know, what does this have to do with me?"

"A while ago, I met with Snowjiel's new charge, who turned out to be Branwen, who had survived after all these years. I knew it was her at first sight; she was happy and warm and cheerful, like I remember her. She had her mother's smile…" Sorin smiled. "And I feel naïve to have not felt the connection when I saw her…to when I saw you." Nick gave him a questioning look. "When I first saw you, I felt as if I had met you before…and then and there, I should have known…I should have known that you were her brother." Sorin smiled. "You and Sylvie have that inner warmth, the fire within that Blagel had…and you both have that warm smile that Udonna always graced us with in the morning." Sorin looked Nick directly in the eyes. "The more I think about it, the more obvious it seems…"

"You've got us confused." Nick said. "My parents were nothing special…you said it yourself that your memory is faded from all the time you spent isolated."

"This is something I'm willing to stake my life on, Nick." Sorin replied, walking up to Nick. He smiled, but as he leaned in for a warm and welcoming embrace, Nick pulled away.

"Don't try to lie to me to make me feel better." Nick said in a bitter tone. "Don't patronize me, and make this all seem like some sort of glorious…some sort of escapade1 My sister's dead, and there's no reason why she is, and you're standing here, trying to convince me that everything's going to be okay and that everything I've ever been told about my life and my family is a lie! To hell with you!" Nick stormed out of Xander's house, leaving the room silent and cold.

Chip nervously tried breaking the tension. "Well, clearly he's in denial without a boat or a paddle." He joked, nervously laughing at the end of it for a moment or so before shutting himself up.

Nick had walked his way out to the fountain in the town square; Xander's house was a half-mile walk from it, but Nick didn't care. He just needed time to think. The air was cold and he could see his breath, so he changed his teeshirt into a wool sweater and continued walking.

He sat at the edge of the fountain once he got there, and he stared at the Lightfire Amulet. He wasn't sure how to feel about everything, but he knew that there was no right way to feel. He was miserable, upset, engaged, tired, and sorrowful, all at the same time.

He held the necklace chain up and sighed. "A gift is a gift." He said, unlocking the hinge on the chain and putting it on. He looked up at the sky, and he could've sworn he saw snowflakes partially falling to the ground before melting in the air a mile or so above him. He smiled weakly as he let himself cry.


	29. Elegy on the Hallowed Eve

The next morning, Nick opened his eyes and sighed as he stared at the sun. His room was cold, and frost lined the window. He sat up and walked into the bathroom, taking a long shower and letting himself cry. He had mastered the art of holding in a crying session in until he was safe to do so. He hated crying in front of others, or making it obvious that he had done so. The Lightfire Amulet danced about along with the charm necklace, and both of the gems began to sparkle a deep red as the water splashed against them.

He got dressed up in the red and black cloak he received for his birthday, and looked at the camera sitting on his dresser. He dreaded looking at the photos now, although he had been happy before to see them. Nick closed his eyes and sighed. "She'd want me to be happy…" The clock tower bell rang solemnly, sounding six am. The sounds of the neighbors setting up sticks and kindling in their backyards became a dominant sound as the bell faded out. He listened as Yuri skittered around down below him, her slippers skidding across the marble flooring. In all the soft sound, he was surrounded by life and movement, and for the moment, he smiled. "She'd want me to live." He said to himself before he made his way downstairs.

"Good morning, Aka-kun." Yuri said as she saw Nick walk into the kitchen. She was wearing one of Xander's green bathrobes and a pair of aubergine slippers instead of her traditional Vampire Queen attire. "Are you really going to wear red today? Xander said it would be bad luck to wear red and green today…oh, it will be strange to see Xander not wearing green…"

"Huh?" Nick said, a bit dazed by her sudden rambling. He opened up the ice cooler and grabbed a glass jug filled with apple cider before summoning a cup to pour it in.

"Today is a long veneration thing called The Hallowed. Spirits are said to roam about…and doing bad things is considered bad luck…you should wear black today…all black."

"For…?" Nick asked.

"Because black symbolizes…passing on…and people who have somebody who have passed in their life wear black today to let the spirits know that they remember them. That's what Xander told me."

"Then what are you going to wear?"

"Purple, for penance."

"I see." Nick walked over to the table and began to stir and warm the cider with his wand tip.

Yuri sighed as she watched Nick slowly stirring as he stared out into the vastness of a pattern in the marble wall in deep thought.

Down in Infershia, Wolzard sat, meditating and drawing in the dark energies around him. His only captive remaining in his cells stood up.

"What are you doing?" The captive asked.

"Ah, my dear, it is the one day of the year when magic is at its peak and the spirits of the undead are at their strongest. I would never waste an opportunity to tap into this deepened Madou pool…" He smiled. "It reminds me of the Terran holiday of Christmas…a plethora of presents just waiting to be opened by me…"

"Hmm…" The captive nodded. After a moment, they sighed. "May I ask from you a favor?"

"A favor? For a prisoner?"

"It is just a small favor."

Wolzard looked over at his prisoner. "Tell me what it is."

"Well, since it is The Hallowed, I wish to venerate it in my own way. It is nothing big or lavish…I wish to venerate the dead tonight. You can supervise me in any way…but I would be devastated if I did not do so."

"Just what is it that you must do?"

"There is a ceremony at around midnight. I wish to attend it. I need a special candle to be lit, and a black robe."

Wolzard sat and mused on the idea. "We have time for me to consider it." He replied in a deep tone. "I have no reason to believe that this is merely a chance to escape on your part, as you've certainly denied yourself every given opportunity to do so…" He looked over to the prisoner's cell. "I still wish to know why you stay."

"And I always answer; for your sake, Wolzard."

"I know there is another motive."

"You're fooling yourself if you believe that."

"Then I am a fool." Wolzard replied.

Nick walked into the main lounge and watched the Rothwood news, feeling a bit nostalgic as the cameras panned around and showed off he decorations of witches and black cats and interestingly carved pumpkins. Xander looked over his shoulder and stared in heavy interest.

"What's so interesting about somebody hacking up a perfectly good pumpkin to look like a scary face?" He asked. "That pumpkin would a perfect pie…"

"It's Halloween." Nick replied.

"…Halloween? Never heard of it." He replied. "Is it like The Hallowed? Do the peop-" A picture of a little girl dressed up like a green witch walked by. "Oh, is that girl sickly?"

"No, she's dressed up like a witch." Nick replied. "Magic users are almost always evil to people."

"To your stupid friends in Rothwood, maybe." Xander replied, a bit angry.

"Hey, they have no respect for magic. It's all just fairy tales to them…it was to me, too…but I always kept an open mind."

"Yeah…" Xander held his tongue from further charging at Nick. He figured that Nick had enough on his plate as it was without him contributing.

Acantha walked in, sweeping the floor and humming a tune. Her hair had changed to a vibrant red that the leaves shone in, and her normal naturey attire was changed for the occasion; she wore a ragged grey dress, a dark grey servant's coat, thin wool mittens, black and white stiped stockings, and black Mary Jane shoes. "Good morning Master Xander, Mister Nick." She said cheerily. She then spotted the TV. "Oh, are those children begging for…small and colorful bags?"

"They're trick-or-treating for candy." Nick explained.

"Why?"

"Because it's Halloween."

"So they hack up pumpkins, yet they're giving sweets to the kids? Make a pumpkin pie and hand out slices to the little brats!" Xander chided.

"Kids don't like pumpkin pie…well, I know I did, and people thought that was weird…"

"Little children do not like pumpkin pie?" Acantha asked, confused as she sat down next to Nick.

"Not usually, no."

"What a loss for them." Xander said. "I grew up every Hallowed having pumpkin pie…my mother believed in having a celebration, because she believed that our relatives would want to celebrate with us today instead of mourning it like most."

Nick thought about what Xander had just said, and it touched him profoundly. He was right; Sylvie would want him to be happy.

Xander sat down next to Nick and watched in a state of awe. He wore a black and white striped long sleeved shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers, along with a long black cape. Yuri was right; it was very awkward to see Xander not wearing any green. He looked paler than normal, in fact.

"You going to change into something else today?" Xander asked as he quickly looked over at Nick while they showed a carving contest. He then watched as they scooped the innards from the pumpkin into a waste bag. "Ugh, you wasteful Terrans! Wasteful!"

"Master, I do not think they can hear you…" Acantha said softly.

"I'll go get changed now…" Nick sighed, getting up. Acantha took Nick's spot on the couch as he left.

"Those seeds would be good toasted…" Xander muttered.

Nick began digging through his things and found an old black teeshirt with a smiling Jack O' Lantern on it, which he happily changed into. Somebody has to represent Halloween around here, he mused. A pair of black jeans sat in the dresser drawer beneath the shirt drawer, which he put on. He dug through his closet and grabbed a black overcoat and a pair of black boots. He ruffled up his hair and grabbed the mp3 player on his dresser, slid on his old headphones, and began to blast his music as he headed downstairs.

He walked down the stairs and found that the rest of the group had woken up and was down watching TV.

Madison wore a long black and orange gown with a black choker. The traditional Magician's hat sat upon her head, a blue bow decorating it. Clare wore a heavily tattered black dress that had clearly seen better days. She tried to make up for there being very little of the top half left by wearing a coat similar to Acantha's, along with a brocade with a large black skull on it. To make up for the giant tears in the lower half, Clare wore black and white striped silk socks that went all the way up her thighs, and covered her feet up in slip-on shoes. She wore her own worn Magician's hat, which was devoid of decoration. Vida had opted to wear a somber orange kimono with black stockings and black sandals, along with a black cape. In her hair sat a skull pin for decoration, and in her lap sat a violin. Yuri had changed into an outfit that was reminiscent or her moments as Nai and Mae; her top half was a purple version of Nai's top, while her skirt was a purplish version of Mae's skirt. She wore black lace-lined purple stockings and a pair of doll shoes, and she was using her cape as a blanket for herself and Xander, who was sound asleep upon the exposed part of her chest.

Sorin decided against doing anything to his hair to style it into the glorious array of spikes that he normally did; instead, he looked quite plain. He wore an orange shirt, which was heavily wrinkled, along with a pair of brown jeans and worn brown shoes. A black overcoat finished off the outfit. Chip had dressed up in things he normally did; a puffed up orange shirt, a pair of rough brown leather pants, tan boots, and a black cape.

Clare looked up at Nick and smiled. "Nice headphones." She said. He didn't notice; he walked into the kitchen, unaffected by her comment.

The group then continued to watch what other people in other towns nearby were doing for October 31st. Ravenwood was holding a massive vigil for Sylvie, where they were planning to have a giant bonfire at the lake nearby, which flowed into the river that passed by Briarwood. "How nice of them…" Sorin remarked.

They then continued to watch the insanity to them that was Halloween. Luckily, Xander was too asleep to wake up and give his two cents on the matter, because the group didn't need any more fuel to go with the fire.

"They're dressed up like ninjas, demons, and even ninja demons! That one's some sort of ninja kappa! That is not even making sense!" Yuri commented.

"Do they even know what today is about?" Madison asked. Vida got bored and began to practice on her violin. "I mean…they run around in abhorrent costumes…they beg for food…and they care nothing about the dead!" Madison then noticed Vida playing, and she gave her a look. "Hey, I'm ranting…can you hold that off?"

"Sorry…but this's the time everyday that I practice with dad…if I don't keep a schedule, then I'll just fall apart!" Vida replied. "…I guess I'll go play in the backyard."

Vida walked outside and Chip followed her, giving Clare a place to sit on the couch.

"Wow…Halloween is a bit different from when I was a kid…my friends didn't wear all these stupid costumes. They dressed up like witches and Batman and stuff…"

"You used to dress up, too?" Madison asked, puzzled.

"Oh, Majiel, no! My mother didn't want me to celebrate Halloween with the kids. She thought it was just being beggarish, so we celebrated Samhain instead."

"Halloween is something I heard about when we learned about people outside Briarwood…how they mock us all and pretend that magic isn't real." Madison said.

"I used to wander about during Halloween in my own body…people would give me candy for such a wonderful vampire costume." Yuri giggled.

"Halloween…it's a fairly new thing…but it's pretty funny. Their perceptions of demons and angels…of Magicians and vampires and the undead…it's comical in a pitying way. They pretend to know…they think they know…but they have no idea…" Sorin sighed at the end of his statement.

Nick walked out to the backyard, his headphones still blaring. As he approached the marble garden, he noticed that Vida and Chip were outside as well. He slowly sat down, so as not to disturb them, as Vida played the violin and Chip accompanied with his syrinx. They had drawn a small audience of neighboring children as well, all of whom were wearing black and orange. However, they seemed to be too entranced by their playing to have noticed he crowd; they were in their own world, jamming out to a lovely harmony of the hollow and mournful vibrations of the syrinx that seemed to play well with the violin's own melodious sorrow. Nick watched as a figure walked by past the house, and found it intriguing that it gave off a frigid warmth that drew him with it.

Without a second moment, Nick began to follow the hooded traveler.

Nick began at a steady walk, but found that the figure was moving faster, their long white robe shuddering from the wind. He began to give chase, something he hadn't done in months. He suddenly mustered up reserve energy to give chase, but the figure just moved faster, seemingly gliding across the ground. Once Nick got within range, he made a jump for it, with the hope that the person would accept his apology for such a move later on.

He closed his eyes and braced for the impact that came with tackling somebody to the ground. Only the cold cobblestone waited for him as he landed. His eyes flashed open in shock and he looked up, finding that nobody was around. A small piece of parchment floated down in front of him. Nick looked at the writing, which was a sparkling gold.

_"Meet me at the fountain before the river ceremony."_

Nick had no clue what the note meant, but he intended to find out. He slowly got up, grabbed the note, and slowly made his way back to Xander's house.

Nick ran in, and Clare seemed to be confused.

"Weren't you in the kitchen?" She asked.

"Ooh, why do you have a bloody lip?" Madison asked, standing up and walking over to him.

Nick didn't respond, but merely asked his own question. "What's the 'river ceremony'?"

The entire group looked up at him as if he were crazy. Clare spoke up, and once again sounded as if she was reciting from memory.

"It's the last thing we do before midnight on The Hallowed…we all bring candles to the river for the good spirits of the departed to follow down the river to Mysteria and beyond. We all are going to have at least two in this house; one for Udonna, and one for Sylvie, so that their spirits will be able to find where they are going. We create a giant bonfire in the plaza, and we use the flames from the bonfire to light the candles." She nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious about it…I heard it mentioned while I was outside."

"SO…how'd you cut your lip open?" Madison asked.

"I fell to the pavement…I tripped."

Madison stared up into his eyes. "I see. You should be more careful."

The hours ticked by and the sky grew dark. Chip found himself carrying the entire sack of candles for the group to the bonfire. The capes and jackets worn during the day were abandoned for black cloaks; Nick decided to wear a hooded one for Sylvie, as he knew that she wore them on occasion. He watched as several Fire Magicians set up the bonfire, and the numbing warmth that he felt once before came over him. He turned around and saw a figure standing at the fountain. He put up his hood and walked over.

The white-cloaked figure smiled as he approached. "So, you came. I'm so glad…" Nick stared in wonder as he approached; the voice sounded familiar to him, like a distant song.

"What, no hello's?" The voice said. "Have you forgotten me so soon…?" The figure removed their hood, revealing Sylvie's visage, adorned with Snowjiel's tiara. She looked a bit disheartened. Nick smiled and went to hug her, but he went straight through her. "Oh, I'm sorry…I'm not really grounded here…" Nick stood up, and Sylvie spotted the Lightfire Amulet. "Oh, you're wearing the amulet…" She smiled.

"You gave this…on purpose?" Nick asked.

"Of course. I knew that you wanted it badly…although I was certain that you'd be surprised…"

"Where're dad's tags…?"

Sylvie fell silent, then placed her hand on Nick's shoulder, leaving an imprint of numbness and warmth upon his shoulder. She gave him a remorseful look and began to speak. "I know you forgave me, but I should have been honest…"

Nick felt as if the answer had already been answered.

"I never mean to hurt you, Nick. I…I just wanted you to…" Sylvie sighed. "I told you white lies to keep the truth from seeping out. If anybody from Infershia knew who we were…we would have been killed…I don't regret doing what I did, and I think I did my best without mom's help…"

"Why did she leave us?" Nick cut her off.

Sylvie stopped her rambling and sighed. She then began her response. "There was nothing left in the forest…everybody was gone…they all died, faded away, or went missing…besides…she knew Infershia would be looking for her…she spared us the pain of having to always run away…we grew up just fine, didn't we…?"

"That's not the point." Nick replied.

"I'm sorry if you're upset about what we've done…but the Lightfire Amulet is in your possession now…and as long as it's in your possession, the evils around you will succumb to its enchantment. Dad is protecting you."

"Why didn't you keep it for yourself? Why did you…how did you die?"

"I kept Wolzard at bay for you to escape with the amulet. It was my day to die, anyways. I knew it for the longest time, Nick. Thanks, by the way…you made my last day a good thing to end on."

"Don't try to pretend that yesterday was all hunky-dory! You've always done that, and this is the worst possible time for that shit!" Nick shouted. "You're dead, and Wolzard's looking for something I have, and you're just on Cloud fucking Nine!"

"Nick…Nick…calm down…you're scaring me."

Nick sighed and tried to calm down, for Sylvie's sake. He took deep breaths and tried to focus his rage positively. Once he was calmer, he looked down. "…Sorry."

"It's understandable." Sylvie said. "I can understand it if you are upset with us…we just wanted to protect you from Infershia…but you're an adult now, and you deserve the truth. I'm sorry that I never got the chance to be honest to you in life…but know that we never intended to hurt you…that mom and dad, regardless of who they are, always loved you. You were dad's pride and joy, and you always brought a smile to mom's face." She placed her hand to Nick's face and smiled. Nick smiled back. "Oh! I almost forgot…" She sighed and dropped her arm to her side. "Could you let everybody know about this, please…?"

"What?"

"I know of a plan…I found this out a few days ago, but I knew I'd be coming back to tell you this, anyways…forgive me for not telling you sooner."

"I forgive you, just tell me."

"I was stupid to not realize why Necrolai wanted these prisms…they were part of an old ritual that I nearly became a part of…that is, if Snowjiel hadn't have saved me from it…" She touched the tiara lightly. "But anyways…I ask that you all…watch your backs, and make sure that they don't kill any more Magicians, please."

"Why?"

"The traitor plans to revive Enma…" She whispered, an icy cold fear frosting her words.

"Enma…? Didn't Blagel…didn't he-"

"He sealed him and weakened him as best as he could. No one man is an army." The chill still ran in her voice.

"He's still…alive?"

"Ask Charlie…as much as it pains him to speak, what he knows is crucial."

Nick nodded, then looked down. Sylvie looked down into his eyes and frowned. "Hm?"

"It's just…kind've…" Nick sniffled. "I miss you."

Sylvie smiled. "Maybe someday Snowjiel will let you come and visit us."

"You're with Snowjiel…?"

"She said I'd be her apprentice." She smiled widely.

"Well, say hi for me, will you?" Nick said, trying to smile.

"Of course I will." Sylvie said. They stood there for a moment, and Nick let the numbing warmth Sylvie emanated surround him, comforting him. Sylvie smiled and broke the silence. "Will you light a candle for me tonight? I may be Snowjiel's charge, but I'm still dead." She laughed slightly.

"I will." Nick said.

Sylvie sighed. "They're getting ready to light the candles. You should go."

"Yeah…" Nick said solemnly.

"I'll be watching you!" Sylvie said, mock scolding him as she turned around and disappeared.

"Yeah…" Nick said, slowly turning around to stare at the bonfire.

They all lit their candles and started their trek to the river, which was nearly two miles away from town by foot. Every member of the town donned their hats and hoods in silence as they continued walking. The march went on for about an hour and a half before they reached the river's edge.

"We go last, guys…" Clare said, to which the group agreed. They watched as the town set their white and black candles into the water, placing the levitating enchantment on them so they would float down the river.

As the ceremony went on, Nick felt a chilled wind float in from behind him, although there wasn't a breeze. He turned around, as did Chip, and they spotted a couple walking up to the river.

The taller of the two had their hand tightly clamped around the other's wrist, while the other person was carrying a small white candle in the shape of a snowflake. The candle bearer walked all the way to the river once the taller member let them go. The air seemed to lose its chill as the candle bearer went to the edge of the river. They waited until the Mystic Force put their candles in collectively, setting the snowflake in the middle.

Madison smiled as Chip began setting all of his candles; three pink ones and a white one. "You have one for Ica, too?" She asked.

Chip looked insulted for a moment, but he shook his head and gave her a small smile. "No…she doesn't deserve one." He replied.

"Then who're they for?"

"Well, one's for my mum, one's for my dad…and one's for the old me." He replied. Madison smiled; she had kept her promise.

The unknown candle barer walked towards Nick, and their hands touched as the candle barer passed back to meet their escort. They hung their head low as the taller member of the pair sternly grabbed the candle barer's wrist.

"What did you give him?" The taller one spoke in a gruff voice.

"I gave him nothing." The candle barer replied. "It was a passing touch, and nothing more, Wolzard." The candle barer giggled. "You sound jealous."

"I can assure you that I have no sort of envy for anything the Red Magician has…in fact, I pity him for what he lacks." Wolzard replied. "Now, we return. I owe you nothing for your assistance after my defeat."

"Good. I hate having this sort of relationship with people." Wolzard opened a Madou Circle and they both left for Infershia.

As the group walked to Xander's house, the warmth from the candle barer's hand remained in Nick's hand. He began to close his hand and noticed that there was something there. He looked down; a piece of parchment sat perfectly cradled in his hand.

_I'll see you all soon…I promise._

Nick was confused, but decided to keep this note to himself.

The town clock's bell rang as midnight approached, and everyone got ready for bed except for Nick. He quickly turned a book in Xander's study into a laptop, and hooked his camera into it, slowly taking the pictures off one by one and printing them up. Pictures of him and Toby at a sports bar almost a week before he left for Briarwood, pictures of the view from Xander's balcony, various interesting shops in Briarwood such as the apothecary and potions shop, a few pictures of Rootcore, and finally, the pictures of Sylvie and himself.

He smiled; the pictures came out beautifully, despite Sylvie's fear that they did not. The picture of her alone was so cheerful; looking at the picture made him almost believe that she didn't know of her fate.

He stacked a pile of parchments, and inkwell, a feathered pen, and a silver bread box from the kitchen together to build a printer. He then used it to print out the last two pictures of Sylvie, quickly finding picture frames to put them in.

He walked upstairs to his room, and on his bed sat the red blanket from Udonna's room. She smiled and set the pictures frames on the dresser in an orderly fashion before grabbing the blanket. He sighed softly, feeling a bit robbed. For a moment, he existed with his mother, and she gave him many things he could not return; none but the gift of his own life and the unspoken pledge to continue her fight without her.

He kicked off his shoes and lied down, clinging to the blanket in a very Linus-like way, letting the gentle scent of spearmint from the blanket fill his nostrils as he drifted to his early childhood memories of Sylvie and Udonna. "Goodnight ladies," He muttered before he closed his eyes. "it's good to know you rest in peace." He softly whispered as he drifted off to sleep.


	30. Interlude: Honor Thy Father

Two weeks went by, and Nick had slowly but surely come out of his mourning phase. It was the 13th of November, and the leaves had been steadily falling from the trees for a while, leaving the world looking barren and lifeless.

Nick and Sorin stood outside on the archery field, staring out to the rising sun, letting the wind whip around them. Nick tightened the scarf that was wrapped around his neck and blew into his hands, but Sorin seemed unfazed by the cold.

"Nice morning, eh?" Sorin asked, smiling and looking over at Nick, who gave him a look back suggesting that he'd rather be inside Rootcore instead. Sorin looked back at the sun. "Do you remember why I asked you to join me this morning?"

"No."

Sorin smiled and looked down. "Well, your father was my teacher long ago…he taught me everything it took to be the warrior I am today…" Sorin stifled a laugh. "Well, I'm still a bit rusty, but I'm almost back to my prime."

"I bet."

Sorin smiled. "This was the day I began my training…it was even colder and bitterer than this day…but then, we had tyranny surrounding us…this is much more peaceful."

"…And? You wanted to share the moment?"

"I wanted to share the experience." Sorin replied. "I want to start training all of you for the inevitable, the worst case scenario. If what Branwen-"

"Sylvie." Nick corrected. "Nick…and Sylvie."

Sorin nodded. "Sorry. I'm just a nostalgic old soul."

"Anyways." Nick cut him off.

"Yes…anyways, if what…Sylvie…told you is true, then we have to be more prepared than we've ever been. I'd like to start the training process with my teacher's son, if you wish."

Nick weakly smiled. "Sure. What's the first lesson, teach?"

"The first lesson-" Sorin stepped in front of him, arms crossed in a stern manner. "is that you will refer to me as 'Master Sungel' during these sessions. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Ahem."

"…Master Sungel…" Nick said halfheartedly.

"Louder."

"Yes, Master Sungel!" Nick shouted.

"Boy, not so loud…"

They stood for an hour in silence, both with their eyes closed.

"…Is there a point to this?"

"Ah, there is." Sorin said. "To be a good Saint-Warrior-In-Training, one must be able to sense their enemies around them with pinpoint accuracy. It would be a waste to have a Madoushi use an invisibility spell and come at you from behind while you frantically try to look for the borderlines of his body against the backdrop he's in…"

"So why do I have my eyes closed?"

"To heighten all of your senses…even those that are innate." Sorin exhaled softly. "Tell me, Nick…when you were ill, how did it feel?"

"…Like I was a giant icepop wrapped in a giant thermal blanket."

"Then this shall be a very good training exercise."

Nick opened one eye. "Eh?"

"Close both of them, Nick." Sorin said, although how he could've noticed that with both of his own eyes closed was beyond Nick's comprehension. Nick did so, and Sorin began to talk again. "This technique will allow you to accurately locate a nearby focal point of Madou activity, be it a spell, curse, or even a Madoushi or demon. I asked about your illness because of the fact that it's caused by an invasion of sorts that a sudden shockwave of Madou energy creates that resides in people. The more light magic one has within them from their own bloodline, the more violent the reaction is and the longer it lasts. The reason you felt like ice was because your body felt the dark magic within your body and detected it, and since it wasn't dissipating, the feeling never went away. You understand all this?"

"I suppose. So you're saying that Madou things are cold?"

"Yes, exactly. To those whose detection ability is as developed as yours and mine, things that are filled with Madou energy are icy and cold, while things filled with Mahou energy, or the energy of the light, seem warm and comforting. Focus around you and reach out to things that seem colder than what's around them."

Nick sighed and focused, trying to find around him pockets of space that were colder than others. He continued, finding that trying to expand this feeling beyond the tips of his fingers was painful. He exhaled heavily.

"Have you felt anything?" Sorin asked.

"I can feel you standing in front of you, but I can't go any further than my fingertips."

"Can't…or won't?" Sorin replied, grinning.

Nick sighed and tried again. He first spotted something extremely cold directly behind Sorin, and he grinned. "I feel something behind you." He said happily.

"Be…hind me?" Sorin asked, turning around. He felt the chilling pulse behind himself as well, which startled him. He reached for his Trigger Wand and pulled it out as he turned around. He jumped back nervously as he saw Wolzard standing directly behind him.

"Did I really sense something?" Nick asked curiously. The only response he got back was Sorin shouting "Goolu Golu Goludiiro!"

Sorin pointed his Trigger Wand up to the sky and fired off a beam of golden light. The sun rose up behind him, transforming his human form into his Saint form as a mirage of a desert landscape surrounded him. As the sun reached its high point directly above Sorin, five beams of golden light shot down in a spiral, slowly imprinting a Saint Circle below him. As the circle was completed, the five individual points lit up in the five primary colors, which caused the Magic Seal in the middle to glow gold and release a cluster of gold beams upwards. The beams filled in the gaps of Sorin's Saint Armor, turning a deep blue and becoming a kind of second skin. The beams transformed the armor they touched, making it stronger and much more functional, and they also finished the Knight Armor suit with a long flowing cape and blue and gold helmet.

The sun finished its move through the sky, but Sorin in his Knight Armor, as well as the desert mirage, glowed brightly. He threw his right arm down to his side, and the Trigger Wand transformed into his Solar Longsword. He then shifted his left foot forwards, holding his left hand loosely in front of his face. "Shining as the sun!" He then shifted his left leg back so it was parallel to his right, tossing his left hand back and making his cape flutter about behind him, all while lifting his right hand upwards and pointing the sword tip towards the sky. "The Heavenly Saint Warrior," He then grabbed the handle of the sword with his left hand and pointed the sword forwards. "Solar Knight!"

Wolzard exhaled heavily and backhanded Sorin to the side. "This isn't our time, Sungel." Nick opened his eyes and gasped. "Come here, Red Magician."

"Fuck you!" Nick shouted, grabbing the Lightfire Amulet tightly.

"Give me that amulet…"

"No!" Nick shouted, clenching onto it tighter, letting the silver dig into his hand.

Sorin got up and lunged at Wolzard. Wolzard's response was a silent blast of Madou energy from the tip of his sword which knocked Sorin back into the far off trees.

"Give me that amulet."

"My sister gave it to me as a gift. You can't have it!"

"Your…sister?"

"Yes, my sister!"

"Mmm. My condolences on the loss…though she did have it coming."

"You son of a bitch!" Nick shouted. He quickly transformed, hiding the Amulet beyond reach. He changed his MagiStaff into a sword and charged at Wolzard. The attack was easily blocked and countered, knocking Nick to the ground.

Wolzard smiled. "So you think you can take me alone?"

"I did fine once before!" Nick replied.

Wolzard laughed. "You considered that a fight?"

Nick fumed and charged at him again, lacing up his sword with a ring of fire before making contact with his shield. The attack was easily deflected with a quick spin, causing no damage. In mid-spin, Wolzard sheathed his sword. "This is not a battlefield. Douza Ujira."

Nick and Wolzard arrived in front of the choir stairs of a distant cathedral. The organ sat in front of them, and the dais stood behind them. The large crucifix, from Nick's perspective, was perfectly aligned with the purple armored Madoushi.

Wolzard pointed his sword at Nick's throat. "Get up, boy. We fight here."

"I won't fight in a church, especially not at the altar." Nick replied, standing up and changing his sword back into a wand and placing it back in the holster on his belt.

"Does the cross intimidate you?" He said. "You still feel emotions for a religion that tells you that you are doomed to damnation from birth instead of your true religion that tells you that you are a piece of something glorious?"

"If we both have the same feeling for Majiel's system, then why are you a Madoushi?"

"There is nothing to gain, only things to keep. Power is what I seek, Red Magician…the amulet will give me such power." Nick saw a contradiction in logic, but proceeded to let Wolzard continue. "Power is all Madoushi seek. Power and honor."

"Those are two different things." Nick pointed out. "Which is more important?"

"Neither."

"Why so?" Nick crossed his arms, expecting an answer.

"What is the use of having power if you use it dishonorably? What is the point of having honor without the power to defend it?"

Nick thought this over for a moment, but then came up with his own solution. "We have our own power given to us by Majiel. If she wanted us to have more power, she'd give it. You must've been a weakling to sell your soul for what you couldn't earn on your own."

Wolzard growled. "Do not question my power!"

Wolzard went to do a spin attack, and Nick flinched. When he opened his eyes, the Wolsaber was mere millimeters from his jugular, causing him to step to the side out of instinct. Wolzard snickered and swung his shield in time with Nick's movement, bashing Nick with the shield and tossing him back through the first four rows of pews below. The shield then opened up. "Who's the weakling in this fight now?" Wolzard sneered, firing off a pair of Dark Wolves into Nick, knocking him back several more rows of pews before Nick attempted to curl up into fetal position from the pain.

"Get up and fight!" Wolzard shouted, jumping into the air and landing in front of Nick. "Get up!"

Nick slowly stood up, using the majority of his remaining energy to continue on.

"Long ago, the humans strung martyrs on crosses…I thought it only fitting to bring you here…"

The words enraged Nick. "I won't lose to you!" He shouted, swinging his sword in preparation to fight. Wolzard smiled.

"Just the way I love to see you, Red Magician. Prepared for a battle to the death."

"Why me? Haven't you made me suffer enough?"

"There is never enough suffering to be had…" Wolzard replied.

"You killed my family! That's enough suffering for anyone!"

"My condolences on your losses…it just proves how far the weakness goes…"

Nick growled and lunged. "Jiruma Magi Gojika! Phoenix Strike!" Fire engulfed his body, fanning out into a pair of blade-feathered wings and aiding his jump by pushing him forwards. He grasped his sword handle with both hands and swung as he approached Wolzard, who set up to block. The sword itself was blocked by the shield, but the fire wings shot around the shield and smashed Wolzard around with a concussive force, sending him flying into the dais.

"Enough with your preaching and insults!" Nick shouted.

"I'll say what I want, child…" Wolzard sneered. The shield opened up and launched a pair of Dark Wolves at Nick, which caused Nick to jump behind some pews to his left. The wolves followed, crashing into him and tossing him into the wall nearby, dropping him out of transformation.

Wolzard slowly got up, recovering from Nick's blast. Nick lied silently, musing over his next move and whether or not he should move. Wolzard walked over to Nick's body, sheathing his sword.

"Your…family…was Blagel's, I take it…" Wolzard said. Nick didn't respond, but he continued. "You're very much like him. It's a pity his egoism led him to me before you could know him…I think that it's slowly becoming your own undoing…"

"Why won't you just kill me now while I'm down?" Nick asked softly. "Why don't you ever kill us when we're down?"

"There is no honor in killing the meek and ill-equipped…"

"Then why did you kill Sylvie?"

"She was far from unarmed, boy. She was much deadlier than you…she would've defeated me if she hadn't sacrificed herself in her attempts to stop me. She fought with the greatest of bravery and honor, I can assure you. She was worthy of a warrior's death."

"Udonna?"

"As I said. The women of your family…very strong for what they lacked in the kind of experience that Blagel had…very long and painful encounters, they were. Unfortunately, only one person can walk away from a fight…and it wasn't either of them."

"My father…"

"A great warrior, I assure you. Strong, courageous, commanding…a good leader, a proper leader. Fighting with honor at every moment…"

"You speak as if you admire him."

"As a fellow warrior, I respected him. But we were not on the same side, and I had no choice, boy. Those who oppose the Master are my enemies, regardless."

"You can't respect somebody, then turn around and kill them!" Nick stood up, glaring. The fire charm around his neck glowed a deep crimson, and the fire spread out around him, covering him in three inches of red hot fire. He picked up his sword and ran at Wolzard. "My father deserves more than your respect! He deserves your head on a platter!" He lunged once more at Wolzard.

The force behind the blade was enough to drop Wolzard to his knees. Nick then kicked him in the face, knocking him back into the already splintered pews. The fire surrounding Nick could be felt from far away, and the layer of lacquer painted on the pews bubbled away as Nick passed them. Wolzard looked up in terror.

"That power…" He muttered. "The rage…"

"_You monster!"_

"_Come, Blagel…come to the darkness…your sins against the Master shall be forgiven…"_

"_I'd rather die!"_

"_So be it…"_

_A fire spread out, consuming all in its path…_

Wolzard grinned. "The fire of self-justice…"

Nick held his hands up high, the blade pointed down for a killing strike. Wolzard put his shield up and prepared a Dark Wolf blast. If his timing had been a few seconds early, he would have crushed Nick. However, Nick aimed his blade directly into the center of the red crystal in the shield, giving it another full-length battle scar.

Dark magic flowed out of the shield's eye, draining Wolzard's magic and strength painfully. Wolzard howled in agony as Nick pulled back. The fire dissipated, and the crystal quieted down. Nick's vision blurred and he dropped to the ground. Wolzard stopped twitching and losing power nearly a minute later, and he rolled off the broken pew and to the floor. The shield closed itself for protection as Wolzard began to try and recover his composure.

"I…I was wrong…I…underestimated…" A shockwave of Madou energy shot off his armor. "AUGH! Ugh…I was wrong…" Wolzard then passed out.

Sorin arose to the sound of Kiran's voice.

"Master Sorin! Master Sorin, are you alright?"

Sorin shot up. "CONALL!" He looked around. "Ah…heh. Stupid me…"

"Are you looking for Nick? We all are."

"He's not here?" Sorin said, standing up promptly and dusting himself off.

"No…we came out here to see if you two were training like you said you were going to do…but all we found was you in the trees…what happened?"

"Wolzard has him…"

"NYAHHHHH!" Kiran shouted in horror. "We have to rescue him!"

Meanwhile, Wolzard's captive smiled as they placed Nick in front of Rootcore's entrance. The captive smiled and positioned him comfortably; lying straight out across the ground, sword in hands that were bent perpendicularly, as King Arthur was in old fairy tale books. The captive lightly ran their fingers over Nick's left cheek. "I'd stay longer, but I made a promise to Wolzard…I intend to keep it. Rest well, Nick." The captive smiled and disappeared in a Magic Circle.

The captive emerged from the Magic Circle at Wolzard's dungeon, where the weakened Madoushi lay sleeping. The captive slowly picked him up and sat him at his throne. All of the jostling woke the purple armored knight up, and his first sight was his captive returning to their cell. "You…you left…"

"I came to help you. Aren't you grateful?" The captive said, stopping dead in their tracks and slightly looking back.

"…I am…I'm just…a bit..."

"Humbled?"

"Ashamed that I could not leave my own dimension willingly."

"It was a good fight. You two are amazing opponents."

Wolzard growled, scaring the captive enough to make them retreat to their cell.

Just as the Mystic Force in full began to look for Nick outside of Rootcore, they were shocked to find Nick there. Xander groaned and wrapped his arms around Yuri's waist, gently resting his head on her shoulder. "They got me out of my bed for this…? Can I go back now?"

Yuri smiled softly and ran her hands through Xander's hair. "Of course, my love. Up we go…" She grabbed him tightly and levitated to his balcony.

Madison and Clare helped Nick inside and into his room.

It was almost Thanksgiving by the time Nick had fully recovered from the fight. His first thought was to go into the archery field, and he did so.

Nearly a half hour later, Sorin joined him. Nick had set up a crude fire pit with two small headstones sitting in front of it.

"A memorial?" Sorin asked.

"Yeah." Nick replied, lighting the fire. "I was reminded a little of something old… 'Honor thy father and thy mother'…I wanted to do that. They didn't get a proper memorial, did they?"

"There wasn't a chance to do so." Sorin replied. He noticed a lack of a third headstone. "Where's Sylvie's?"

"She's not dead." He replied. "She's partying with Snowjiel." He smiled and looked up. "She would be here at this little memorial if she wasn't a floating spirit, I think."

"Sylvie…she would've been here. She would've done the works."

"I bet she's done her own honoring…" He looked at Sorin and grinned. "We all honor people in our own way, I guess. Wolzard honors my father as a worthy opponent…and I honor him as a hero. I just…I don't get his honoring method."

"For a warrior to honor the man he slayed is pretty deep, Nick. Not many people can say they fought and killed men with great honor…I'd take it as a compliment."

"I guess…"


	31. Evergreen Lilies

The end of November approached, and in the Bly household, Xander had once again fallen asleep on the couch watching Nick's television. Yuri walked into the living room cheerily in her silver housedress and grey scarf, but the smile quickly faded. She walked over and shook his shoulder. "Mido-san, wake up." He groaned lightly. "Mido-san…" She shook again, and got a nose twitch as a response. She growled. "Fine, If you're going to be on the couch, I'll just have to make due."

Yuri sat down on the cushion of the couch where his head was, crushing the back of his head into the couch, and his face into her rear end, cutting off the majority of his air supply. His eyes immediately shot open, and he flailed his arms around in a panicky motion.

"Oh, now you're awake!" Yuri said, standing up and turning around to look at him.

"What possessed you to try and kill me like that?!" He shouted.

Yuri simply smiled. "Get up. Work to do."

"Ya could've shaken me awake, hun…I'm not that heavy of a sleeper." He said, getting up off the couch. Yuri frowned; Xander had no idea how bad his sleeping habits had gotten.

Xander trounced upstairs slowly, his vision blurring from lack of sleep. He rubbed his eyes and blinked as he continued upstairs. He felt like he was carrying a giant pack of weights on his back as he walked; it was almost too overwhelming for him.

He carried himself into the shower and cranked the water up as far up as he could. The searing hot water hit his skin, and it stung for a moment, but the warmth overtook him, calming and soothing him. He leaned his head against the shower wall and closed his eyes.

Downstairs, there was a knock at the door. Yuri had been waiting patiently for this, so she turned off the TV and opened the door.

"You wanted me?" Vida asked.

"Come in, please." Yuri said, gesturing towards the couch.

"So…you said you had something important to ask me." Vida said, walking in and setting her cloak on the coat rack before sitting down on the couch.

Yuri closed the door and walked over to Vida. "Yes, very important."

Acantha walked in with a tray of small tea sandwiches and a small setting for two. "I thought Master Xander would be joining you." Acantha said. "It is, though, nice to see Miss Vida again."

"Nice to see you too, Acantha." Vida said with a smile as she took a sandwich and a cup of tea. "So, you sounded very nervous when you sounded…which reminds me, when did you start using magic?"

"I know a few tiny neutral spells, all I needed was Xander's wand."

"I see…" Vida said coldly, taking a sip of tea. "So…you sound desperate. What do you need that Xander can't help with?"

"Well…it is about Xander."

"He's getting worse, I've noticed."

"Can you think of anything he can do?"

"Well, I'd normally suggest seeking out help from a shrine for any magic-related problem, but…"

"But what?"

Vida set the tea cup on its saucer. "Going to Groungel's shrine requires a sacrifice, as every shrine does."

"What do we need? I'd do anything to help Xander."

"You need a plant. A living plant. It can't be dormant, like a tree. You're screwed this time of year."

"How about a pumpkin? Squash?"

"It has to be living at the time or arrival, and it can't be just a fruit or vegetable."

Yuri sighed. "Then there's nothing we can…" Suddenly, a thought came to mind. "Wait!" She got up suddenly and ran for Xander's room. Vida watched her dash off, and she looked to Acantha. Acantha just shrugged.

"Beats me what she's thinking of," Acantha said. "but I will say that Master Xander's…well, forgive me for the pun, but very 'deep-rooted' in Green Magic, Miss Vida. Do you think it could be the problem?"

"Possibly." Vida replied. "Groungel might be able to help, but I guess we won't know…"

"We could sacrifice me! I'm a plant!" Acantha said, pointing to herself.

"Ah, but Xander would kill us."

Yuri ran upstairs and barged into Xander's room. She heard the shower and got curious. She walked into the bathroom and panicked as she noticed that Xander had fallen asleep in the shower.

Ten minutes later, Xander awoke to Vida, Acantha, and Yuri leaning over him as he lied in bed, wrapped in bandages from head to toe. The pain of the burns from the shower roused him out of the wave of anemia he felt, and he was overcome by pain.

"Calm down, anata…" Yuri said, softly running her hand through his drenched hair.

"You should be lucky you fell asleep…you would've seared your eyes if they weren't closed." Vida said.

"Is there anything I can do for Master Xander?" Acantha asked.

"No." Vida replied bluntly as she stood up. She then saw what Yuri had run upstairs for in the first place: Xander's plant, which had grown three times its original size since Vida last saw it. None of the flowers had bloomed on it, but they too had grown huge. "Holy shit, what kind of potions do you have that thing on?"

"We've been taking good care of it, that's all." Yuri smiled. "Well, mostly Xander has. It's the only thing that gets him out of bed!"

"Put that down!" Xander shouted, sitting up.

"You know where the shrine is? I'll take it myself." Yuri said.

"Take…my plant?" Xander said, worried. "Where are you taking it? What are you going to do to it?"

"We're going to Groungel's shrine and we're gonna sacrifice it to make you better." Vida said.

"You can't kill it! It hasn't even bloomed yet!" Xander said, leaping out of bed and trying to get the plant.

"Wow, what a motivator that thing is!" Acantha said.

"What's Groungel going to do to my poor plant? It's not ready to be sacrificed, or planted, or anything!"

"Xander, I can hardly get you to stay up for longer than an hour at a time anymore, and you don't even realize it! You've been getting worser and worser since September, and I don't want to walk in here one day and have you never wake up again!" Yuri said, starting to cry. Xander sighed and hugged her.

"I'll go. If anybody's going to kill my pride and joy, it's going to be me." Xander said, taking the plant and setting it on his bed. "Now out, I've got to get dressed!"

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" Vida said. "Do you want one of us to come with you?"

"Just tell me where to go." Xander said.

Vida frowned. "Fine…"

Xander collected himself slowly and got dressed.

A half hour later, he made it downstairs with the plant in hand. Vida frowned and handed a slip of parchment with instructions on it. He slipped it into his pocket and left silently.

Yuri waited a few seconds until she was sure he couldn't hear her. "Acantha…follow him."

"No need to tell me twice." Acantha then disappeared in a cloud of shiny golden brown dust.

Xander walked out, his Magician's Hat tightly pulled to his head and his arms tightly clinging to the large white and gold vase containing his plant. He'd have to traverse to Mysteria on his own, he realized, which meant going completely through the forest, over the mountain, and past the large river on the other side with the limited amount of energy his body was clinging to.

"Sure, the shrine I have to go to isn't even in the same plane of existence as me. Just my rotten luck." Xander griped as he slid the piece of parchment back into his cloak pocket.

Acantha poked her head out from behind a tree. "I hope nobody decides to chase after him today…" She said with a frown as she continued to follow him.

Xander reached the mountains separating Mysteria from Terra after several long hours of walking. He set the plant down and yawned before sitting down himself. His head slowly dropped down as he began to fall asleep, and as soon as his hat slid off and hit his legs, he looked up. "Okay…I'm awake, I'm awake…" He yawned once again and began to ponder his method of crossing the mountain range.

"Hm…I could try and exert all my energy into magic to get across…or I can find a path and walk it…hm. I should probably only pour energy into using magic as a last resort…I guess I'll just have to find a pathway." Xander began to look about for an alternate route.

Acantha got a wonderful idea. "There should be a cave around here from where the Mandoran River flows from Mysteria to Terra…but how to get Master Xander to find it without actually making him notice me…?" Acantha sat down and thought. "Oh…wonderful idea!" She stood up and smiled. "Sprite Lights." She said, summoning a spark of shimmering brown light into her palm. She tossed it at Xander, and it caught his eye. He turned around, and Acantha ran off towards the Mandoran River.

Xander put his hat back on and picked up his plant before chasing after whatever had been running about behind him. He saw a small figure darting around the trees, so he followed it. "Hey! Wait up!" He shouted.

The cave that the Mandoran River had created several centuries ago was smaller than Acantha hoped it would be, but it was still big enough for her and Xander. She entered the cave and tossed another ball of Sprite Lights out for Xander to see. Xander bought the bait and continued following the lights.

Acantha led Xander through the cave, flashing off lights every once in a while once she had lost the sound of her footsteps following her. They made the entire two-mile trek in less than an hour and a half, and the biting wind of the northern territory of Mysteria woke the slowly fainting Xander up. Acantha disappeared from sight into the tops of some nearby trees as Xander emerged from the cave.

He shivered and summoned a heavy wool scarf before looking around. The trees that surrounded him were mainly evergreens with the occasional maple, and the ground was littered with the maple's purplish leaves. The wind was much more violent here than in Briarwood, but Xander took it to be a more northern thing. The ground beneath him was quite solid, as compared with the soft and sturdy soils of the forest behind him.

"What a rough place to be…" He sighed briefly and began to walk out of the forest area and into the plains of Mysteria, following the river.

Once he stepped outside, he was stunned momentarily by the sight. He had been in Mysteria before for a few fights, but he hadn't truly taken the time to look around from this sort of view. The ground was all fairly even besides the ring of cliffs and mountains and the far off horizon, and he could see as far as the trees and houses provided. A sturdy log cabin with a large pumpkin patch was nearby, and the river seemed to isolate it and this section of the forest from the rest of the surrounding area.

The rest of Mysteria, from his view, was a dying plains from the cold, biting winds of a coming winter. The grass had turned brown and wilted, and the corn stalks in the garden of a distant home were brittle and droopy. There seemed to be no sort of organization of the houses that resembled any sort of community or town; everybody just seemed to have picked a spot and made use of what they had. "Very…interesting."

Xander took out the map he had been given. He had to cross to the other side of the river, loop through a winding maze of trees, and then he'd arrive at a clearing of trees surrounded by small buildings. The shrine was in an enclosed area in the center of town. "Looks like the only hard part is getting over the river." Xander joked to himself as he slid the map back into his pocket.

He began to walk into the river, and a rock slid out from under his footing, tossing him into the icy cold water. He was lucky that the river wasn't incredibly deep, as he would've lost his plant in the accident. However, he became soaked in his blunder, and as soon as he shot up, he began to shiver. He ran as fast as he could in the knee-deep water to the other side, sparing no effort to keep the plant and himself as dry as he could manage.

He collapsed on the other side, heaving for air and reaching for his wand. "Regalia Draynen!" He shouted, causing all of the water to evaporate from his clothes. The spell taxed out most of his energy, however, and he blacked out.

"Oh no…" Acantha said, looking around. She was the only person besides Xander around for miles. "I should go get help…" She snapped her fingers and disappeared.

Footsteps marched in a somber beat towards Xander. A long flowing robe fluttered in the brisk wind. "My, my…what do we have here…? A Terran, in Mysteria…? Green ribbon around the hat, and a plant in tow…?" The hooded figure smiled and approached Xander.

Acantha arrived at Xander's house as quickly as she could. She found Yuri and grabbed her. "Miss Yuri, we have to help Master Xander!"

Yuri's eyes opened wide. "What do you mean? Is he in trouble?"

"He fell asleep! C'mon!"

"Oh my…" She quickly changed into her Vampire Queen outfit. "Point the way."

Acantha changed into her natural sprite form for extra speed and illumination of the darkening sky, and Yuri quickly followed behind with her shadow strafing.

Xander woke up and first noticed that he was hatless and sitting upright and tied to a stake in a wide clearing surrounded by small tents and torches housing black fire. He panicked and looked around; all he saw were people in hooded royal purple cloaks, long black scarves, and black bandanas with the Madou Circle embroidered onto it.

"Ah, he's awake." The apparent leader of the group spoke.

"Where am I? Who are you?" Xander shouted. He was once again semi-vigorous, enraged as he saw them picking at his plant. He started kicking at people closeby. "Give me back my plant!"

The leader laughed. "Oh, but Master Midhat wouldn't be happy if we allowed that to happen…"

"You're…you're Madoushi…" Xander panicked; he was easily outnumbered and outpowered with no sign of escape. "Let me go! I'll make it up to you!"

"And just how will you do that…?" The Madoushi leader asked.

"I'll think of something! What do you want?"

"Why, your eternal soul to give to Enma, of course." A voice said behind Xander. He looked behind him, and Midhat stood behind him.

"Oh Majiel…" He muttered.

"I know Master Xander was here…there's the water trail he made…" Acantha said, worried and panicked.

"I have his scent faintly in my nostrils here…he hasn't been here for a while." Yuri replied. "His scent moves ahead of us…but there are many other scents…many other energies…" Yuri became worried. "We should go quickly."

"You bet." Acantha said, both swiftly following the trail. Within ten minutes, they arrived at the edge of the Madoushi camp. They spotted Xander and panicked.

"What're we gonna do?" Acantha whispered into Yuri's ear.

"We can't just barge in. There are some powerful Madoushi within, including Midhat, and they won't hesitate to kill anyone or anything not allied with them."

"How're we going to get him out of there…?"

A hand clasped onto Yuri's right shoulder and she jumped. A pair of Madoushi stood next to her, and she took a defensive stance. The shorter of the two Madoushi, the one who had grabbed Yuri's shoulder, snorted. His cloak was a bit different; the ends of his sleeves were lined with purple and black feathers. "You ready for the show, ladies?" He asked, giving a suggestive look with his chocolate brown eyes. The taller one, who wore thick black leather gloves, and whose bandana covered the majority of his forehead and eyebrows, remained silent and only stared at Yuri with deadened, cold brown eyes. Yuri stared back in wonder, the gaze broken as the two walked into the camp.

"You two are late." Midhat said, pointing at them with the fan.

"We're sorry, Master, but we came as quickly as we could…" The feathered Madoushi replied. "We were…delayed."

"Enough with your excuses. Now, which one of you shall inflict the blow?"

"I should, Master…I am skilled at bladework." The feathered Madoushi said, raising up a curved yellow blade.

"That is a fine blade you have there…"

"It's why we were late, Master." The feathered Madoushi smiled. Midhat seemed to smile as well.

"Well, boy, don't just stand there grinning like an idiot! Get to it." He said, pointing the tip of his fan at Xander. Xander closed his eyes tightly and flinched.

Yuri grabbed Acantha and shadow strafed over to the other side of the camp to prepare a sneak attack. She could've sworn she saw the tall, gloved Madoushi wink at her briefly before holding his right palm upwards, channeling dark magic.

"Hold very still, Green Magician…this won't hurt a bit…" The feathered Madoushi said, raising the blade over his head, then looked back to Yuri and gave her a smile with his eyes. He then drove the blade downwards with a great deal of strength.

Xander exhaled heavily and opened his eyes as soon as he heard the blade sink into the soil. "Stand up, Xander." The feathered Madoushi said, his voice sounding much more familiar now. Xander was paralyzed in shock for a second, so the Madoushi helped him to his feet.

Midhat was shocked by the action, but before he could do anything, the gloved Madoushi spoke in a bellowing tone. "Douza Uzaara Zazaado!" Madou Circles opened up below the other Madoushi, including Midhat, and Dark Wolves shot up beneath them, killing a few instantly, and severely damaging others. Midhat retreated, as he took a great deal of damage himself. The gloved Madoushi looked worn out by the effort, but he then grabbed Xander's plant and walked over to him.

"Give him to me." He said. The feathered Madoushi tossed the nervous Xander to the gloved Madoushi. Yuri gasped and shadow strafed out.

"Let go of him!" Yuri shouted, lunging at him. The feathered Madoushi blocked her attack by jumping out in front of her. Xander exerted so much energy trying to escape, that he blacked out once more.

"Let him go." The feathered Madoushi said. "We know what we're doing."

"I am not quite sure where I am going…" The gloved Madoushi admitted.

"I'll show you!" Acantha chirped.

"I'm following you, Madoushi." Yuri said coldly.

"If you choose to do so, Vampire…" He replied. He then turned to the feathered Madoushi.

"No need to tell me. I know I owe you for this. I will pay you back, I promise."

"I'll hold you to it."

"No need to. I'll pay you back whenever I can." The gloved Madoushi then walked away with Acantha leading him. As Yuri turned to leave, the feathered Madoushi grabbed her arm. "Please don't attack him. This is an act of good faith on his part."

"Good faith, my ass. Wolzard would not do anything if he didn't get something out of it. Did you promise him Xander's life as well as your servitude?"

"No. He refuses to let any of us become so weak that our deaths are insignificant to his plan."

"So he's just going to save Xander to kill him later?"

"If he can later. Can't you feel the lack of energy within him? He's almost as weakened as Xander is…if it wasn't for his sword and skill, I would've killed him off myself." He laughed. "When Nick strikes, he strikes hard."

"Yeah…" Yuri smiled. "Take care, will you?"

"You know me…this is my home. I won't let them kill me here." He grinned. "Now get."

The feathered Madoushi changed the curved dagger into a crossbow as Yuri ran after the trio. "Alright, which one of you soulless bastards wants to dance first?"

Yuri caught up with Wolzard, Acantha, and the unconscious Xander. She glared at Wolzard, who was still dressed in the Madoushi's robes.

"Give him to me." Yuri said.

"No. This task was given to me and me alone. You may tag along if you wish."

"I don't trust you with him."

"Nobody trusted you around him either." Wolzard replied coldly.

"This and that are different." Yuri replied. "I was powerless and Necrolai was hunting me like a dog! I had no choice but to hope that they trusted me! You…you just show up unannounced and probably still working for Enma…"

"My motives are my own business, Vampire." Wolzard snapped back. "I would easily kill him if I had a reason to. The energy I'd waste killing him wouldn't be worth the energy Enma would receive for his soul…"

"So you're saying he's not worth your time."

"Exactly. I'd rather kill him when he's healthy than while he's like this."

"Why waste your time at all? Midhat's probably already blacklisted you for your actions."

"We've all been blacklisted since Day One. He's never trusted any of us. He's still too much of a Magitopian to be one of us."

"Us? I'm not on your side."

"I meant he's not a true follower of Enma, Vampire. He is not a true Madoushi…"

"Show me respect; call me Yuri."

"Since we are currently working towards the same goal, I'll do as you ask…Yuri."

Yuri nodded and smiled as they continued onwards.

Nearly an hour later, they took a break. Yuri sat between the still-sleeping Xander and Wolzard, while Acantha took watch over her worn out master. Yuri summoned Xander's tea set for them to relax, and she found herself sharing a conversation with Wolzard.

"What about the Mahoutsukai made you change?" He asked her softly.

"They may not have trusted me fully, but they opened up their hearts and homes to me. They didn't know who I was, or why Necrolai was trying to kill me…all they knew was that I could not defend myself, and that's all they needed to know. It was…such a nice change. I was happy for the first time in many centuries…there were people who cared about me. I missed having people take care of me and protect me."

"You're a Vampire Queen. You need nobody…you hardly need to feed…"

"What is a queen without a court? What is a knight without fealty to one's master?"

"I see your point."

Acantha looked over at the two and sighed. "You want some tea, Acantha?"

"Oh! No…I'm just…nervous. Xander's really slumbery…I'm afraid that if he doesn't wake up soon…that he won't wake up at all."

Yuri sighed and looked back down to her tea. She didn't want to fathom Acantha's comment.

A few minutes went by silently as Wolzard and Yuri continued to drink. Xander stirred a bit in his sleep, letting them know that he was still alive, if still unconscious.

"…How is she?" Yuri said suddenly, catching Wolzard off-guard.

"She is fine." Wolzard replied. "Resting, but fine."

"I still can't understand why she remains there."

"It's of her own free will."

"Surprising." Yuri said.

"Guys, he's waking up…" Acantha said as Xander's eyes fluttered open. Yuri quickly finished off her tea and bounded over to his side. Wolzard merely looked over at him, took another sip of his tea, then set the cup down before pulling his scarf back up over his face and walking over.

Xander's eyes opened to see Yuri, Acantha and Wolzard leaning over him, which made him panic. "Why are you here?" Xander asked. Yuri grabbed his arm.

"Relax. Wolzard is here to help you."

"Why? What do I owe him?"

"It's not what you owe…it's what Chip owes." Yuri replied.

"The Yellow Magician requested my assistance with a few things…I was more than willing to do so. My aid is not required elsewhere at the moment anyways."

"So you're coming with me to Groungel's shrine?"

"Unless you think you're going to limp your way there yourself." Wolzard snipped back sarcastically.

Xander glared and sat up. "So you three're just going to carry me there or what?"

"Consider us assistants." Wolzard said.

"I said I could do this myself!" Xander said, standing up and grabbing his plant. "Leave me be!" He then stormed off, plant in tow, towards the shrine.

"We'll follow him, Wolzard." Yuri said.

"Fine."

Another hour or so passed, and Xander finally arrived at the edge of the clearing to the enclosed shrine. Wolzard, Yuri, and Acantha weren't far behind him.

The clearing surrounding the temple, despite the horrid weather outside the clearing, was littered with blooming flowers of every color imaginable and dew-sprinkled green grass. The sun seemed to shine down upon the area from an unknown source, since the towering trees created a sort of dome over the open clearing. There were stone structures lining the outside of the clearing, almost in a Stonehenge-like formation, covered in vines and acting like a sort of gate to protect the central structure which housed the shrine.

Xander breathed a sigh of relief and walked into the central structure. As soon as he did so, Wolzard had an unsettling feeling. "The air is growing cold here." He said, walking into the clearing.

Inside, Xander was amazed to find two separate chambers to the temple which housed the shrine. The first of the two chambers was basically a giant greenhouse, with every sort of plant that grew in winter flourishing and blooming around him. The room's energy invigorated and relaxed him; he almost forgot what he had come for in the first place. A door of living vines guarded the opening to Groungel's shrine, and he commanded them to let him in.

This shrine room's walls and floor were barren, save for a wall-bolted statue of Groungel holding out his hands for the plant offering, and a suit of gold armor.

The suit was a full-bodied suit facing towards the shrine itself, and it looked very much like a rugged dragon's carapace. The breastplate, fauld, culet, greaves, cuisses, and pauldrons were fashioned into a deadly type of dragonscale armor, wherein the scale tips were raised up and pointed outwards to damage anyone who should be dumb enough to get close. The couters and bracers were adorned in a few rows of webbed spikes similarly shaped to a dragon's mane, and the bracers had a ring of claws which extended outwards in a ring around the hands, acting as both melee weapons and like a sort of bell guard to the hands. The sabatons were articulated and designed to look like dragon talons as well. There was little to the helmet besides a spiraled array of spikes on the top and a neck guard. For a final touch of draconian flair, the sabatons were articulated and designed to look and act like dragon talons, and the back of the armor sported a long reptilian tail which seemed to have a mind of its own, as it was moving back and forth like a cat's before striking.

Xander slowly approached the altar, and once he had gotten nearly twenty feet away from the armor, the tail stopped moving. Xander took notice and stopped his own movement.

"Welcome." The armor said.

"Thank you." Xander said.

"I see you arrived in one piece…I'm impressed." The armor commented in a jeering tone. Xander thought it sounded familiar.

"Of course I did…" Xander replied in a slightly unnerved tone. "…Who are you?" He asked, setting his plant down and away from him.

Wolzard walked into the shrine, just to make sure that Xander was faring well. He'd hate to make a promise he could not keep. He looked in and saw the suit of dragon armor speaking to Xander, and for a moment, a flash of some far-off thought came to mind. He, however, could not place where the thought came from.

"I miss this old armor…" The voice spoke, lifting up a hand to its face. "I wanted to show it to you…" He turned around, revealing a demonic facemask that reminded Xander of a demonic Jack O'Lantern; the area of the mouth was carved into an open mouth baring two rows of razor sharp fangs, and the area around the cold blue eyes was painted a dull gold to contrast with the well-polished gold.

Wolzard's thoughts drifted for a moment, to thoughts he hadn't ever pondered before…

"_No! Don't leave us! Please don't leave!" A tortured voice screamed out in the distance behind him, a woman's voice. He cut through some brush as he ran, then sliced the Styxoid hiding behind the bush in half._

_The armored warrior in front of him, who was the same person who now stood in front of Xander, casually walked ahead of him, making his way towards the gates easily. He laughed softly, then talked. "Ignore her. She's just a woman."_

"_What do you mean by that, Raigel?" He asked as he approached his companion's side._

"_My old friend…if a man has power, he has no need for women. He can dominate who he pleases, regardless of gender or age. A man with power can have any woman he wants, but women are serpents who feed off of power…it's complicated. In short, women steal away a man's power, and are useless…"_

Wolzard blinked, and held his head as it began to ache mildly.

A vesica piscis popped out from inside the right gauntlet of the armor, and the sides unfolded, becoming a steel fan. "I wanted to show it to you right before I killed you!" The armor seemed to melt away, revealing Midhat underneath. Wolzard charged in, sword in hand, and tried to block Midhat's blast. Some of it glided above and below the blade, reforming around it and smashing into Xander and tossing him into the wall. Xander closed his eyes and slid down, crumpling in a heap at the bottom of the floor.

"What's taking Xander so long…?" Acantha asked. "It never takes Groungel this long to meet with anybody."

"Let us go in and see." Yuri replied.

"Alright." The two walked out to the clearing, only to be ambushed by Hideacs.

"This isn't good…" Yuri said.

"You're telling me…" Acantha said. "I'm not very good at fighting."

"Uuza Uru Uzaara!" Wolzard removed the robe, bandana, and scarf as a Madou Circle opened up underneath him, instantly returning him to his armored Madoushi form.

"Why are you fighting me? Are you trying to destroy our plan?" Midhat said in shock.

"He's not worth the effort. I'm trying to make him worth the effort."

"But if you allow him to be restored to full health, we'll have missed our chance to catch him with his guard down!"

"What good is a barely conscious Mahoutsukai to our cause?"

Midhat thought for a moment, then tossed a soft dark magic blast at Wolzard. "That is for attacking me earlier."

"Hmph."

Acantha grabbed a particularly pointy stick from a nearby bush and used a bit of nature magic to extend it into a wooden sort of rapier. Yuri bared her fangs and claws, and the two went to town tearing the Hideacs apart. Despite her handicap, Acantha did well on her own, and Yuri only had to protect her a few times. There were only a dozen or so Hideacs, so there was really no trouble at all for them. After they finished, they ran inside.

"But I do see the genius in your plan…even if there are flaws…why waste the effort of killing many weak Mahoutsukai when we can have a big fish and finish our quota in one fell swoop? Yes…brilliant." Midhat waved his fan around. "I suppose I could let this temporary act of treason…slide…for the time being." Midhat then teleported back to Infershia, leaving Wolzard and Xander alone. Yuri and Acantha walked in shortly after.

Acantha checked up on Xander, who came to shortly after she kneeled down next to him.

"So…you can do it alone?" Wolzard mocked.

"Bugger off." Xander replied, struggling to get up. Acantha helped him up and Yuri gave him the plant. "I'll finish this myself." He carried the plant slowly over to the hands, and he set it in the statue's palms, then collapsed. Yuri helped him up as a green Saint Circle set up beneath him. She pulled him out of the way as a being began to appear through the beam of light.

A hooded figure stood with his back to the group. As soon as he saw the plant, he gasped and smiled.

"Oh…what's this? A 'Gift'…? Oh! This is Xander's plant, of course…and it's nearly about to bloom…" He bent down and began to coo to the plant. "Look at you! You've been growing all fall and you'll grow all winter…" He touched the plant, then quickly pulled away. "Hm, you're a little life drainer, aren't you? Just like Mommy." He chuckled. "But you'll be a good little plant now, won't you…?"

Yuri coughed, drawing Groungel's attention. "Oh! I almost forgot." He turned around and saw the quartet, scowling when he saw Wolzard. "What an…unexpected…grouping." He said coldly. "Xander, get up."

Yuri shook Xander violently until he groaned and grabbed her arms. "Okay, I'm awake, I'm awake…"

"You're a wreck, Xander. Taking care of this plant, I can see why." Groungel snickered.

"…Your voice…" Xander began to say.

"Sounds familiar? I hope it should." Groungel removed his hood and revealed his face.

"Oliver?"

"Who were you expecting? Bridget, maybe?" Oliver said. "Anyways…you didn't just bring me this lovely little 'Gift' to show it off, did you?"

Yuri lifted him to his feet and he brushed himself off. "No, I didn't."

"Master Groungel, Xander has fallen victim to Seasonal Drain…but this is the worst case I've ever seen." Acantha said.

"Mmm, this makes sense…" Oliver nodded. "Seasonal Drain would knock him off his feet a little, but not this badly. Sure, he'd sleep a little longer and be a bit lazier during the fall and winter, but he can barely stand on his own two feet. I think it's the plant, though. This plant, as far as I can see, requires energy to grow the first time it's cultivated. This and the Seasonal Drain both working at the same time…very taxing. I'm surprised he's still standing."

"Is there any way to help him?"

"These flowers said that they're ready to bloom once it snows, so when they do, the blossoms will give him back a good majority of the magic they stole in the first place. A fickle plant, this is…" Oliver grinned and adjusted his wire frames. "Well, all I can prescribe for the patient is for lots of rest until he's back to full health. The plant should be by his bedside for maximum healing. That's all I can tell ya." He smiled widely. "Mind you, I'm a Saint, not a doctor…but I'm sure everything'll work out like that."

"You'd better hope so." Yuri said. "I won't hesitate to kill a Saint for incompetence."

"Honestly, I'd like to see you try-" He adjusted his wire frames while speaking. "but Xander is ill and I'd rather not run his clock down any farther than it is. I'll get you three home with the plant right now…take care now!" He snapped his fingers and Acantha, Yuri, and Xander, along with the plant, all were instantly transported back to Xander's home in a flash of green sparkling dust. Oliver then turned to Wolzard. "So…you don't have much of a change of heart after all."

"I do what I must to ensure my plans aren't interrupted."

"I can see why Charlie seeked you out." He smiled. "Perhaps you might squire him before Sorin does."

"I need no squire, and he needs no master." Wolzard replied.

"I know. Deep down inside, I know that your fragmented mind and spirit will be mended soon."

Wolzard looked at him. "I don't need your babbling." He then left.

"You'll come around…" Oliver whispered softly before teleporting back to Magitopia.

In Xander's bedroom, Acantha gently set the plant down on the nightstand next to Xander's bed, then left the room. Yuri crawled into bed next to him and pulled up the covers.

"I'll stay for now, until the flower blooms, anata…" She got comfortable under the sheets, until she saw a piece of paper hanging from the mirror, the text reflected. Her reflection grinned.

"_It says 'When the snow is heavy, I will be ready.', Mae-chan." _ The mirror said. _"I presume you know the meaning…"_

"I do. Arigato, Nai-chan." Yuri smiled as she turned back to look at the plant.

It had begun to snow outside, and the large blooms began to burst open. I nside the blackish-green blooms lied beautiful lilies decorated in swirled designs of aubergine and forest green that seemed to almost seemed to glow in the dim candlelight shining from across the room. "Beautiful…" Yuri said as she brushed a bit of hair out of Xander's eyes. He exhaled heavily in his sleep, and Yuri smiled. The rose crystal on his bracer seemed to have its own sort of glow to it. Yuri buried her head in Xander's shoulder and fell asleep with a grin on her face. Nai stood watching the two, and she sighed happily.

"_She has peace…"_ Nai said happily before going back to her job of mimicking Yuri in the mirror. She was more than happy to curl up to Xander's reflection, anyways.


	32. Dream of the Archer

December 1st was a cold and snowy day in Briarwood, and Chip Thorn decided to wander the streets in his winter gear to marvel at the sights and sounds of the town.

In comparison, Mysteria was a war-torn wilderness with few collections of homes and buildings that could hardly be considered townships, let alone anything as big as Briarwood. Briarwood was a small town in itself, as it was the smallest out of itself, Ravenwood, and Rothwood, but it was still the largest collection of homes and buildings that Chip had ever called home.

Chip sighed and walked down to the Rocca residence, and he was greeted by Mr. Rocca.

"Ah, Charlie! C'mon in, kid!" Mr. Rocca said, pointing to the cloak rack. "Make yourself at home."

Chip let out a quick nervous laugh. He hadn't been in a permanent residence in so long, and he wasn't quite sure what was being suggested.

A tea set had been set out for four; Madison and Vida's personal teacups had been used a while ago and were now empty, a few crumbs lingering from their tea cookies.

"They said you'd come over to visit us…I thought they were just throwing out a little wishful thinking."

"They're beginning to get to know me…" Chip mused, pausing for a second. "I should leave now before they…ya know, get attached." Chip sat down on the seat provided and picked up his teacup to take a sip.

"That's what I don't get about you, boy…" Mr. Rocca said. Chip looked up.

"Huh?"

"I've offered for you to stay here in the guest room plenty of times, and ya still refuse."

"Well, I'd hate to take a room all to myself when I'm hardly ever in one place. My room over at Rootcore is probably used less than the room here, nowadays."

"It's hard to believe a room is never used."

"I'm always on the go. I don't really have a need for a permanent place."

"Everybody needs a place to fall back to, even rugged adventurers like you and I."

"You, sir?" Chip seemed confused.

"Ah…" Mr. Rocca put his cup down and smiled. "When I was your age, I was very much like you. I went on daring adventures, and I fought many Madoushi and demons. I never stayed in the same house twice…hell, I never stayed in the same house two days in a row. I had never questioned why I did this, but it was all that I knew. My father had done it, and so had his father, and his father before him had as well. I thought it was my life's mission to wander the world fighting Infershia."

_That sounds exactly like me, actually…_

"One day, I came to Briarwood to get a few supplies, and I met this lovely young lady; long black hair, warm smile and soft and silky voice. She was a seamstress who worked for the tailor shop I had gone to fix a cloak that was heavily torn up. She was a sweet lass, and I had made a decision that if I ever needed anything else tailored, I'd make the effort to return and have her do the work.

Then the Great War of my time occurred, and it just so happened that I was in Briarwood, so I ended up fighting with the militia. I was gravely injured, and unable to continue battling. I ended up in a makeshift field hospital inside the tailor's shop, and the lady was the head volunteer nurse."

"I can see where this is going." Chip said, a tone in his voice suggesting that he was slightly bored. Mr. Rocca hadn't noticed it, though, as he continued on.

"Mmm, I suppose that the story does have a predictable ending, but I have a point."

"Women ruin all the fun?" Chip joked, giving a comedic grin.

Mr. Rocca smiled back. "I guess that's a sort of secondary lesson…" He chuckled. "But no, the point is that even a nomad needs a sturdy tent and a good cook to satiate them from time to time."

"…Maddie does make a mean peach cobbler."

"Well, she's memorized every recipe in her mother's cookbook; she had better know how to make her mother's peach cobbler. It won her blue ribbons in one a many baking contests."

Vida poked her head in from outside. "Dad, where's your hammer?"

"In the tool chest on my dresser, hun."

"Thanks, dad!" Vida said with a wide grin. She ran into Mr. Rocca's room, and after a few moments of shuffling around in the tool chest, she walked out with a hammer. She spotted Chip and booked out the back door.

"See? There are things in life worth staying in one place for." Mr. Rocca smiled.

"Yeah…" Chip still had a perplexed look on his face; why did Vida seem afraid of him?

Vida ran outside to see Madison, who was carrying a small load of timber into the garden.

"Maddie, he's here!" Vida shouted through gritted teeth.

"Oh Majiel, quick! Everything goes in the broom shed!" She replied in the same manner.

Chip stood up after finishing off the cup. "I'm going to go check on Vida; Vida with a hammer is a very terrifying thought." He grinned as he walked outside.

Madison locked the broom shed and turned around just as Chip walked out.

"Hi Chip!" Madison said nervously.

Chip smiled. "Hey you two."

"So…you came over to visit…I'm surprised." Vida replied nervously.

"What are you two up to?" Chip asked cheerily.

"NOTHING!" They shouted simultaneously.

"…Okay then…"

"We've been…broom flying!" Madison replied.

"She's been getting better at it." Vida added.

"Good to hear!" Chip said. "Maybe one day, you could keep up with me." He winked and slapped her hard on the back.

"Yeah…"

Chip waited for a moment, and an awkward silence surrounded the group. "I'm…gonna go."

"BYE!"

"…Yeah." Chip left feeling somewhat unnerved. Madison and Vida waited until Chip was far away before they spoke to each other.

"Ready?" Vida asked.

"Yeah." Madison unlocked the broom shed.

"We're going into the garden, right?"

"Into the clearing, yeah."

Chip made his way back to Rootcore, and the place seemed vacated besides Tsubasa, who was chasing Diya around the open space that was left from people not being around.

"Clare? Nick? Sorin? Anybody here?" He called up the stairwell. He heard no sounds coming at his call. Tsubasa squawked at him as Diya flew over to Chip. "Oh, hi."

Diya twinkled lightly and Tsubasa walked over and nuzzled Chip's arm. "Hey kids. Where is everybody?" Tsubasa squawked a few times, and Diya bounced around flashing. "Really? Everybody just up and left?"

Tsubasa cawed sadly. "I miss them too, Tsubasa." Chip patted Tsubasa on the head, then walked over to his chair and sat back. "I wonder where they are…"

The crystal ball glowed black and caught Chip's attention. "Oh, a monster. You wanna tag along?" Tsubasa reared up and Diya spun about. "Let's get going."

Tsubasa insisted that he fly Chip into the battle, and Chip reluctantly agreed. He transformed and the speedy hippogryph took off with his uncle securely latched to his back. "Don't go too fast, Tsubasa. I don't have a bridle for you yet, and I could still fall off." Diya floated in front of them, providing light in the semi-dark forest.

Tsubasa almost didn't need Diya to spot the pack of Hideacs hauling a cage through Infershia's back gate that Chip had used previously. Tsubasa dive-bombed the group and, with his razor-sharp talons, ripped apart the skulls of several Hideacs. Chip jumped off of Tsubasa and landed on top of the cage, crossbow ready to fire.

From below him, a large claw erupted between the bars of the cage and clamped around Chip's ankle and pulled downwards, yanking Chip's entire leg into the cage. The Hideacs cheered as Chip struggled to get free. Tsubasa continued to fly around and peel away at the Hideacs, dodging their spears and cleavers as best as he could.

The demon began attempting to tear Chip's leg off, so Chip shot into the cage and singed a bit of its fur off, causing it to whimper and let go of his leg, which Chip quickly yanked out of the cage. He rolled off the top of the cage and into the swarm of Hideacs after swiftly changing his crossbow into the boxing gloves. He began deflecting shots and punching Hideacs out of the way while limping out into the open field in front of him. Tsubasa landed next to him and squawked a warning out to the Hideacs to stay away, however, they just came at the two.

"What a bad time to not have any of the others here, eh?" Chip said to Tsubasa, who squawked softly in response. "Why don't we retreat for the time being?" Diya floated back to their side as Tsubasa squawked a reply in the positive. "Good choice." Chip replied, climbing onto Tsubasa's back and flying off back to Rootcore.

Chip arrived to find Clare walking up to her room with a basket. "Oh, hey Charlie!" She said as Tsubasa walked the injured Magician over to the circular table.

"Hello…where have you been?" Chip asked, getting off Tsubasa's back and sliding into his chair.

"Ugh…" Clare seemed shocked to be asked. "Sorin and I went out to check out some stuff in Briarwood. Why?"

"I could've used your help…"

"Why? What happened?"

"We were attacked by a large group of Hideacs…they've got some sort of demon in a cage that nearly tore my leg off."

"Oh Majiel! I'm sorry!" She set the basket at the top of the stairs and rushed down to help Chip out. Sorin arrived in a Saint Pentagram near the fireplace and was a bit perplexed to see Clare and Chip in such an awkward position.

"Ahem…" Sorin said, drawing their attention.

"Sorin, Charlie was in a rough fight…his leg was injured…"

"I see." Sorin replied. He walked towards the stairs. "I could've used your help today, Clare…these bags are exceptionally heavy…"

Clare gave him the look of death, and Chip gave Clare a confused look. "I…was with you today." Clare said nervously.

It took Sorin a second to understand what she meant. "Well, I mean, right now-today…could you help me with them?"

"Sure!" Clare said, standing up and half-running to the stairs.

"I'll help out." Chip said.

Sorin and Clare looked back at him, wide-eyed. "No!" Chip sat back and gave them a perplexed look.

"You're injured…you should sit down and relax." Clare replied nervously as she ran up the stairs with several of Sorin's bags in tow.

"Yeah, relax." Sorin replied.

Chip gave them an odd look. What was up with everybody?

Down in Infershia's main room, Wolzard stood glaring at Midhat. "How dare you take a pet of mine to attack innocent civilians!" He shouted.

"Nobody is innocent in war." Midhat replied calmly, waving his fan.

"They were unarmed civilians!"

"Nobody is safe in war!" Midhat replied in a harsher tone. Wolzard growled.

"There are rules of war, Midhat. Attacking defenseless civilians is cowardly and dishonorable-"

"You and your honor!" Midhat cut him off. "What kind of Madoushi are you, with all of this talk about honor? Madoushi don't need to be honorable, they just need power. In fact, you've lacked power for a while…"

"I'd rather fight a battle with honor than with excess power. There's no honor in slaughtering people who have no power."

"You're pathetic, Wolzard. You serve the Master horridly with your mindless banter."

"I serve him the way he pleases."

"I know what the Master wishes, Madoushi!" Midhat spat out. "What I say is his decree, and if I say that you are serving the Master in a disapproving manner, then you are!"

"You are nothing but a puppet." Wolzard replied coldly. "The Master has no need of your fallacies."

"How DARE you insult me in such a manner!" Midhat fumed.

Wolzard grinned and walked out. "I'm not finished with you, Madoushi! Get back here!" Wolzard walked into his lair without stopping. Midhat turned his back to face his throne. "Wolzard is becoming a nuisance…there has to be a way to get him to obey my wishes to please the Master…I have to get him to follow my plans…" He turned his fan over and began to survey Wolzard's lair through the looking glass within his fan.

Wolzard sat upon his throne and huffed.

"I could hear you two all the way in here, Wolzard." His prisoner said.

"I apologize if we woke you up." Wolzard replied.

"Oh, not at all. I was merely meditating." The prisoner teleported out of the cell and over to Wolzard's side. "Perhaps I could get you something?"

"I need nothing but to do a bit of meditating of my own."

"You should try being in one of the cells yourself; they're the best place to meditate, I find."

"Honestly?"

"Why would I lie?"

Midhat snarled. "That prisoner…I know her…" He narrowed his eyes and sneered. "Maybe he'll listen to me if she…goes away…permanently." He laughed softly to himself. "However, I have other plans I must tend to before I do so…" The mirror focused upon Chip inside of Rootcore.

Several days went by without trouble, and Chip was healed up by the 6th. He had practically gotten used to people scrambling to avoid him, so he decided to go away for a bit. He grabbed his Motobroom and headed off for the nearest town besides Briarwood: Rothwood.

Chip arrived around noon on the motobroom in its motorcycle form, and he immediately regretted it. The traffic in the once-quiet town had exploded, and most of what was being built before was now either finished or close to being finished.

Chip sighed as he drove around; the vibrance of magic hardly touched the walls and to him, the town was dead and cold. The Terrans who dwelled within the buildings seemed to deny the spark within them that he embraced and utilized every day.

He pondered the harsh fact as he began to mindlessly ride. Suddenly, a horn blared and he instantly stopped. The motorcycle to his right's rider flipped up his visor. "Hey could ya watch where you're-" The rider stopped for a second, then changed his tone. "Oh! You're one of those guys from Briarwood!" He shouted cheerily. "Hey, um…we're blocking traffic…wanna go somewhere?"

"Sure…" Chip was confused, but he followed the rider into a parking lot nearby. Both of them parked their bikes, and Chip got off his first. "Who are you?"

The rider took off his helmet, revealing himself to be Sky. "You don't remember me? That's okay, I mean, we haven't seen each other in a while, and you're probably loaded with things to do…"

"I wish." Sky seemed a bit more upbeat and cheerful than the last time they had met.

"…Really? You're not busy?" Sky seemed surprised.

"Ugh, not really. It's been eerily quiet lately."

"Odd…" Sky replied, sticking his hands in his coat pocket.

"…Didn't you go home to the future?" Chip asked.

"Oh, long story...wanna talk about it over lunch?"

Chip was a bit surprised by the offer. "Sure."

"Great…there's a place down the street. C'mon."

"…Okay…"

Sky led Chip down to a coffee shop and they sat down at an empty table in the corner.

"You want something to eat?" Sky asked.

"Not hungry."

"Oh. Okay." Sky seemed a bit upset over the reply. "…So…you want the story?"

"I'm interested." Chip said, giving him a look.

"Well, it's a bit of a strange tale, really." Sky began. "See, we came with a local guide from our time, and he left a lot earlier than us. We thought that the wormhole we had arrived in would be open so long as we remained here. Well, it turns out that it didn't happen that way…so here we are."

"Well, not sure what a wormhole is…but I guess this all means that you're stuck here in our time."

"Yup. Might as well stay here anyways…this place is just bustling with life…"

"Yeah…" Chip replied sarcastically.

"Ah, you don't like the city, I take it?"

"It's dead…"

"If you say so…" Sky shrugged.

Chip sighed after a moment and stared out the window.

"You okay?" Sky asked.

"I'm okay…" Chip replied in a hushed tone, still looking outside. It had begun to snow again.

Sky grinned. "Heh, I say it like that a lot too. Something's bothering you."

"You? Depressed?"

"I may seem cheery right now, I know, but I haven't had anybody to talk to in days."

"You neither?"

"They did this to me last year, too, whenever we weren't on a case. The whole month, they practically ducked into back rooms whenever I came near."

"You too?"

"I know. My stupid sister went and blabbed about my birthday, and they went and used the entire month to plot a birthday party for me." Sky rolled his eyes. "They know I hate being at parties where I'm the center of attention…luckily, Stella stole the show…" He smiled weakly. "Ya know, I went nearly six years without a birthday party. Best six years ever. Nice and quiet when they didn't know my birthday…I got the day off and I got to read all day off-duty."

"When's your birthday?"

"Other side of the month, the 27th."

"Mine's in two days."

"Must be fun to not have any holidays hanging around your birthday."

"What holiday hangs around yours?"

Sky stared at him for a moment with a confused look. "…Christmas, duh."

"What's that?"

Sky tried not to laugh. "It's a holiday where people get each other presents and kids get spoiled rotten, even though they don't deserve it. It's a good way to get clothes, at least. Most of my civilian gear came to me as Christmas presents…in fact, I can't name anything I'm wearing now that wasn't given to me in the last four Christmases."

"I thought that's what one's birthday was for."

"Well, when the days are practically right on top of each other, people just lump the two together. It doesn't bother me too much, but Stella thinks it's a ripoff and that only cheapskates try to get away with the whole thing."

Sky's morpher beeped. "Oh, hold on." He pulled the morpher out and opened it up. "Captain Tate here."

"Big disturbance down on 6th Street…you're the closest guy near the area, but we could have backup there soon."

"What's going on? Domestic dispute? Armed robbery?"

"Something big just popped up out of nowhere…they think it's some sort of alien or demon or whatever."

"What's it look like?" Chip asked.

"It's like a big giant…dog, or something. It's hard to describe…can you hold out for a while or not?"

"I'm on my way. Tate, out." Sky closed up his morpher. "Sounds like you know the monster. Friend of yours?"

"Not sure, but if it's what I think it is, you're going to need more than a few guys running around with those…gun…things…"

"Let's go then." Sky smiled.

The two arrived riding their bikes and in their respective suits of armor. Sky drew his Magnums and Chip drew his crossbow.

The monster was huge; it was nearly seven feet in length, and stood five feet in height. The purple-furred abomination had glowing yellow eyes, a long muzzle, and a mouth filled with sharp fangs.

"That's not a big dog…" Sky said to Chip.

"That's definitely a demon." Chip replied. "Do you think you can handle it with just me?"

"I'm game if you are." Sky smiled.

"I'm up for the challenge." Chip replied.

The demon snarled and lunged at them. "Move!" Chip shouted, revving his bike and driving under the monster. Sky followed his action. "That thing's brutal at close range…he nearly tore my leg off."

"I'll keep that in mind…" Sky replied. "I got an idea…follow my lead."

"I hope this works…"

Sky combined his Magnums and began to drive circles around the monster. The beast became disoriented as Chip joined in. "Fire!" Sky shouted, opening fire on the demon. The lasers from Sky's Magnum burned holes in the beast's fur, and Chip's crossbow bolts had nearly the same effect as a stun gun on it. The beast cried out in fury and backhanded Sky and his bike into a telephone pole twenty feet away.

"Sky!" Chip shouted, driving over to him. Sky slowly got up. "Are you okay?"

"Just a bit shaken." He replied. "Shit, it's charging!" He said, pointing behind Chip. Sky quickly pulled his Magnums apart and opened fire with both of them.

Chip began to aim for a shot directly between the eyes, but the beast moved around erratically, and it was incredibly hard to aim properly.

"What're you waiting for?" Sky asked harshly.

"The kill shot." Chip replied.

"Stun him, then kill him!" Sky replied.

Chip, however, began to focus once more on a kill shot. Suddenly, a cold draft shot up behind him, ruffling his cape, and accompanying it was the clip-clopping of horse hooves. Chip turned around and looked for the source of the sound; what he found to be coming shocked him. "I think our problems just got worse…" Chip said.

"Huh?" Sky replied.

From behind them emerged Wolzard riding upon his loyal war horse, Valkirion, and he was charging directly at Chip and Sky. "Out of my way!" Wolzard shouted, making Chip realize that he was actually wrong. Chip drove his bike to behind the monster and Sky rolled out of the way as Wolzard unsheathed his sword and drove the sword through one of the beast's paws.

The demon howled in pain, then whimpered as it landed on the paw. "Heel!" Wolzard commanded, pointing the sword down at the demon. It looked at him with its glowing yellow eyes and growled. Wolzard looked a bit confused. "What has Midhat done to you…?" The demon lunged at him, causing Valkirion to rear and kick it in the face and knock it to the ground. "Both of you, calm down…" He sheathed his sword and gently stroked Valkirion's mane to calm her down, and she got back down on all fours.

Chip watched in shock at all the happenings on as Sky grabbed his bike and got back on it. "We have to abandon this field…" Wolzard said, looking over at the two. "I am in need of your assistance…will you aid me?"

"Of course." Chip replied, remembering his debt.

"This is my assignment, anyways." Sky replied.

"Fine then. Uuza Douza Ujira." Four circles opened up in the ground, transporting the fight away from the town.

Deep in the forest and far away from Rootcore, the four parties arrived in a small clearing. Tsubasa had been flying overhead and he swooped down to join the fight. Chip spotted him and got an idea; he ordered his broom to go back to Rootcore and he climbed up on Tsubasa's back. "Alright Tsubasa, get ready…"

"Tsubasa?" Sky asked.

"That's his name, Tsubasa. It's an odd name, I know, but it fits him…"

"I see…" Sky replied.

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh, the name sounds familiar."

"You'd be hard-pressed to find somebody with that name, I'm sure." Chip replied. Sky lightly mused to himself as he revved up his bike.

"I'm afraid I have no choice. Yellow Magician, you take to the skies. Red Magician, follow me."

"I'm not a…oh, nevermind." Sky waited for the signal while Chip ascended to the treetops. Sky combined his Magnums once more as Wolzard unsheathed his sword and Chip steadied his aim.

"Permission to fire, Wolzard?" Chip asked.

"Fire at will."

Chip fired a well-aimed shot into the back of the demon's neck, giving Wolzard and Sky a chance to swoop in and attack.

"Zazaado!" Wolzard's shield opened up and the Madou Wolves tore at the demon synchronously with Sky's Magnum shots. Chip aimed another shot and lodged the bolt into the top of the creature's skull.

Wolzard lightly tapped Valkirion's side, which caused her to charge full blast at the demon. Wolzard swung his sword and prepared to strike. "Forgive me, Colmillo." He said as he slashed the beast's throat. The mighty creature fell down, but it wasn't finished. "Let me make the final blow!"

"Got it!" Sky and Chip fell back a bit from the fight, only to find themselves surrounded by Hideacs.

"Great, more of these damn things." Sky said, revving up and driving through the group of Hideacs to his left and close-range firing upon them. Chip transformed his crossbow into a sword and both him and Tsubasa followed behind Sky. "So, where are we going?"

"Back to Rothwood?" Chip asked.

"Fine with me…if we can find it, that is." Sky replied.

The Hideacs followed the retreating group, and Chip changed his sword back into a crossbow to push them back.

Wolzard got off Valkirion and knelt beside his pet, Colmillo. He then began to pet it softly on the side. "Midhat has plagued your mind, my poor Colmillo…" The demon dog whimpered. "I know…I will make him pay for this somehow…my pets and my captives are my own…he is not allowed to touch them, ever." Colmillo let out a tiny whimper and closed its eyes. Wolzard pet its head and sighed. "Sleep, Colmillo. Sleep…" The demon dog then exhaled deeply and went limp. "I hope you cross over well, my old friend." He stood up; the blood from Colmillo's neck finally draining away and off his armor, staining some parts a faint deep red. "Midhat will be punished." Valkirion lightly trotted over to pay her own last respects, bowing her head down and closing her eyes for a moment before Wolzard mounted her. "Let us go back, Valkirion." Valkirion whinnied and began to ride into a Madou Circle that Wolzard opened up ahead.

As they rolled into town, Chip and Sky got backup; several members of the town's militia were awaiting the arrival of the Hideacs and they opened fire on them as soon as they got close enough.

"Thanks, guys." Sky said, waving as him and Chip passed them by. Some of the younger members stared at Tsubasa in wonder.

Two hours later, after Sky had finished giving his report to his current superiors, he visited Chip outside. Chip was back to his cape ensemble that he had run into Sky while wearing, and Sky was back in his own red uniform.

"…We need to relax." Sky said with a small smile as he greeted Chip.

"What?"

"…Nevermind. Wanna go do something else while there's still sunlight?"

"Um…I guess."

"Let's go." He walked down to his bike and noticed that Tsubasa, who had been guarding his bike, was gone. "Where's your…nephew?"

"No pets allowed on the premises." Chip replied coldly, his arms crossed and a sour look on his face.

"Oh." Sky replied. "You…you need a ride?"

"No." Chip said, pointing up at his broom, which was flying over to greet him.

"Oh, okay." Sky replied, putting on his helmet. Chip frowned and looked down at his outfit.

"Do you think I should change it?"

"If it's bothering you."

Chip pointed his wand at his clothes. "Regalia Militia." His outfit changed into an exact replica of Sky's outfit, only colored yellow instead of red. Sky looked back and gave him a look.

"Ya know, you don't have to dress like me."

"Well, at least now I don't stick out as much." Chip joked.

"Oh, I stick out, too…trust me." Sky replied as Chip leap-frogged onto his broom from the back. "Nice."

"Thanks." Chip said, starting up his broom.

"Ready?" Sky asked, revving up his engine.

"Ready."

Sky took off and Chip followed his lead to the park.

Wolzard arrived in the Throne Room to find Midhat smiling happily at his fan.

"How dare you, Midhat!" He shouted, pointing the tip of his sword at Midhat. Midhat unsummoned the fan's view of Wolzard and looked up.

"You have a problem, Wolzard?"

"You took my pet and let it loose on civilians once more! I had to put it down because of your insolence and disrespect towards the belongings of other beings!"

"I never told you to interfere with my plans, Wolzard," Midhat replied. "in fact, I knew you'd go out of your way to stop it from happening."

"You set me up!"

"You and that thing were just sitting around like old relics, collecting dust. It needed the exercise; being locked up in a cage all day must've made the thing lethargic and given it so much built-up energy…"

"You bastard!"

"Well thank you very much." Midhat said, waving his fan. "Now go relax in your throne room with your little captive and have another little tea party…"

"I swear to you, in front of our Master, that if you touch so much as a hair on her head, I will rend yours from your shoulders."

"I highly doubt it." Midhat replied. Wolzard walked back into his section of Infershia with a cloud of rage circling about him.

Midhat flipped his fan over and looked into the mirror. A blackness swarmed around it like a death cloud.

"Yes, Master Enma…now you see how far he's fallen from grace…it's the woman…his captive has magic, strong magic…she is weaning him from your grasp…I feel that, as your most loyal subject, that I must act to eliminate her…"

_I see…_ The black cloud seemed to whisper ever so softly in response. _He has become…a thorn in my side…I have a panacea, but it requires your precise following of orders…_

"Whatever you need, Master. I would do anything to please you."

_I shall enact a series of events…once I give you the signal, you are to strike down the prisoner. I can promise that my Madoushi Knight will be of little problem once she is no more…and her power will bring me much closer to the surface…I can feel it…_

"Yes, Master…"

_If anything is to happen in regards to my Madoushi Knight…we will just have to make it up as we go along._

"I do not wish to become violent with him…but if he compromises the mission any further, then I will do what must be done."

_Those are soothing words you speak, my beloved Madoushi Priest. Now sit and focus your energies until the time comes._

"Yes, Master…" Midhat sat down on his throne as the black cloud dissipated from around his fan.

Chip and Sky sat at a picnic table, and Sky sighed happily as he looked around at the people throwing snowballs at each other. Chip wasn't quite sure what to say.

"It's a nice day." Sky said. "Cold, snowy, but nice."

"I guess." Chip, who was used to the freezer box levels of cold Mysteria normally was at around this time of year, thought it was warm, but he didn't speak up. He thought that he'd just ruin the moment.

"How old are you? You seem to be really old, but you look pretty young."

"I'll be 19."

"I was right, you're young."

"You?"

"I'll be 23, or as my sister puts it, 'old enough to get piss drunk while not feeling the need to handcuff myself and toss myself into a cell for the night'." Sky smiled. "She knows my anal retentiveness almost too well for not being around me for years."

"We don't change much, humans." Chip said. "We all have our hopes and dreams, and we keep them long after we know that they won't happen."

Sky looked over at Chip. "Hopes and dreams…I had those. I have a few from long ago still. I've made it to some of the old dreams, and some I just gave up on."

"Same here."

"What're your dreams?"

"I only have one left that hasn't been crushed."

"And?"

"My dream is to rid the world of Infershia, go home, and finally get some sleep…wherever home may end up being."

"You don't have a home?"

"I do…but it's not really a home. I have a few places I stay…but I want a place of my own. A small home that's warm in the winter and cool in the summer…a place I can just relax in, surrounded by trees and life, with a large open backyard for archery practice."

"Sounds like a plan." Sky said.

"You?" Chip asked.

"My dreams?" Chip nodded in the affirmative. "Uh, well…I'm finally a Red Ranger, I'm on good terms with my sister, I get to make the world a safer place for everybody…I think the only dream I have left is to fight the good fight until I can't anymore. Maybe I'll retire when I'm 35 or something…when I still have enough time left to do something else."

"You, stop?" Chip laughed.

"Evil will always be around…we can't fight it forever." He frowned, seemingly disheartened by what he said. "We all must step back and realize that we're only human, that we can only fight for so long." He looked outwards to the treetops on the horizon. "We all gotta go home and rest eventually." Sky smiled weakly and sighed lightly. He then turned to look at Chip. "Trust me. I've been on both sides of the tracks…as long as there is a will to do something to disrupt peace…evil will always be around…whether it's the bad guys, or the good guys."

Chip thought about what Sky said, then looked out to the couple making snow angels in the distance. "Yeah…we all need a rest…"

The rest of the day was quiet, as was the next day. The 8th came around and Chip was less than happy about it.

"Of all the times to want to interact with people…" Chip said as he woke up in Rootcore. He walked downstairs, expecting the entire Mystic Force to be there as they had been when he went to bed, but it was eerily silent. Even Tsubasa, who was usually found in the early morning to be sleeping in his corner, was nowhere to be found. "Where is everybody…?"

He began to panic as he flashed back to two months ago. "Oh Majiel…I hope nothing's happened…nothing's happened, I just have to find them…" He began to run around Rootcore in search of the rest of the group.

The broom bay was completely empty. The library and the fireplace were hollow and silent as well. The fire hadn't been used since late last night. He checked the archery range and the backyard, but all he received was a brisk wind blowing snow from the ground about.

Stuck to a target was a single arrow, nearly dead center, with a bit of parchment tied to it. Chip walked up to it and unwrapped it from the arrow.

_Hey Chip. Knew you'd come out here, even when the snow's starting to get wicked. We're all in Briarwood…we dare you to find us all…we'll all be in the same place, having drinks and waiting for you. See you there._

_-V_

"…Party? Xander's house…" Chip muttered. He ran inside to get dressed and ready for a trip to Xander's house.

Chip walked down into town in his winter gear, which was his Madoushi outfit, only colored in its natural tan and yellow hues, and with the addition of a visor for keeping the snow out.

He arrived at Xander's house and found another note on the door, tied to the doorknob with a purple ribbon.

The parchment was folded in half, the front half reading _"Kiiro-kero-kun"_ and adorned with a scribbled picture of a rotund version of him wearing what appeared to be a frog suit. He opened up the letter and read on.

_Ha ha ha! I knew Momo-chan would make you think to come here! I told her that you would come here if she said we were having a party, but alas, we are not here. But we are indeed here in town waiting for you. We want you to look hard! We hope you don't freeze looking for us in this snowy weather! Keep warm!_

_-Yuri and Xander-_

_P.S. I know she wouldn't give you a hint, but between mates, we're not terribly far away. Cheers._

Chip pondered Xander's comments, as well as Yuri's. "Where the hell are they…?" Chip began to wander about.

He ran into a few people on the street, but nobody had seen any of them anywhere since the day before. He was worried; what if something had seriously happened to them while he was asleep?

Then it hit him. "Keep warm…" He grinned. "Where else would I go to keep warm that's not far away? I'd have to go south to keep warm…and it'd have to be a place I'd go to be warm…" He grinned. "Too easy."

He arrived at the Viner Street Bakery, only to have his idea squashed. "Hm…I guess not."

He began walking down the block, wondering where everybody could be, still thinking of the possibility that something was wrong. He sighed and walked the quarter mile from the bakery down to the Rocca Residence.

The door creaked open as he knocked on it, screeching a song of how it needed to be oiled badly. He walked in and the room's warmth overtook him, both from the fireplace, and from the magical energies within that he was sensing.

A note sat on the tea table in front of the couch on top of the tea tray.

_Is it warm enough for you in here? You may make yourself comfortable here, if you want. We'll be here soon enough…_

Chip recognized Madison's handwriting. "Oh, I get it. Somebody set an enchantment on the room to make it warm…probably Nick." Chip laughed lightly to himself and hung up his winter gear and boots, leaving himself with his canary yellow sweater, brown leather pants, and grey wool socks on.

Down in Infershia, Midhat grinned as he watched Chip. "I suppose I should send a donation to him…"

Chip curled up on the couch and began to doze off; he was quite comfortable. A minute or so later, he was woken up by a sense of extreme cold outside, and it had nothing to do with the weather. He sat up and grabbed his cloak, scarf, and boots, quickly putting it all on and running outside.

The cold chill wandered into the garden, which was now decorated like a greenhouse for the winter months. He began to walk deeper into the garden, but a warm hand grabbed his shoulder and made him jump. He turned around, and there stood Madison in a long winter overcoat. "Maddie!" He shouted as he ran over to her and bear hugged her. He then grabbed her head and kissed her roughly on the lips. Madison blushed a deep red as Chip pulled her close again. "You're okay…" He said.

"I'm okay…did I scare you?"

"No…I just missed you so much…" The perfume she was wearing smelled much sweeter to Chip than it ever had.

Madison blushed even redder as Chip picked her up from the bear hug and carried her inside as such.

"I missed you, too…" She replied as he sat her down on the couch before taking his winter gear off. "You're really happy to see me…"

"I haven't seen you in a week! Of course I'm happy to see you!" Chip replied, jumping onto the couch and hugging her tightly. "I thought something happened to you."

"Oh…something happened to me?"

"With all the letters…and all of you disappearing…I began to worry." His voice dropped to a weak whimper as it went on.

Madison grinned and hugged him back. "You go off for days at a time…and that never bothers you?"

"Well, I always know I'm coming back and everybody's still alive and well."

"Well…" Madison smiled. "You worried about the others?"

"A little…"

Madison grinned, unnerving Chip a bit. He looked up and spotted a black ribbon behind the chair. Suddenly, a cluster of people burst out from behind the remaining furniture.

"Surprise!" Several of the group members fired off little streamers of colored light. Chip jumped up from the couch, looking embarrassed and slightly angry with Madison.

Yuri, Vida, Sorin, Sky, Nick, and Clare stood around smiling in their best party outfits, except for Sky, who was wearing his SPD uniform with nothing more than the jacket upzipped.

"Happy birthday, Charlie!" Clare said.

"Uh…" Chip was stunned; he wasn't expecting any of them to know his birthday. He then glared at Sky. "You! You were in on this, weren't you?"

"Actually, not until this morning. I ran into Nick while on patrol and he mentioned it to me…I thought it'd be nice to hang out with you again."

Chip looked back at Madison. "I…" He then looked at the group. "I'm not sure what to say…"

"Just sit down and shut up, Birthday Boy." Nick said with a grin.

Chip could feel the chill outside once more, but his attention on the matter was taken up by his friends, who pulled him to the dining table for a large feast.

_Winter in the forest. A cold wind whipped around the liquidy powder from the ground into his face, his mask guarding his face from the effect._

"_It's so cold out…I wish to go back to sleep." A voice from behind complained._

"_The cold numbs us and dulls our senses. If we begin lessons in the cold, then we will gain swift victories in the heat." The perception swirled around, revealing a shivering Sungel. "Besides, this's why I wear fur." A smile, then the view faded to black._

_Another scene, another time. A little girl chasing a giant wolf demon around. "Colmillo! Colmillo!" She shouted. The beast howled happily and stopped, then turned around and licked her face. "I love you, Colmillo!" She then looked directly at him and smiled. "Daddy, I love you too!"_

_A switch to a dark room. Raigel sat across a table, writing quill in hand._

"_You should take a break."_

_Raigel laughed. "Why, you found a little golden nugget to stick in here today?"_

"_Diving into darkness, whether you're utilizing it or not, will consume you."_

"_You worry too much…" Raigel replied, dipping the quill tip into the blood-colored ink. "Besides, I'm revising some of your work. You left things out."_

"_Sleep soon."_

"_There is no sleep for the vigilant."_

"…_Indeed." _

Wolzard clinged to his head and growled. "Go away! Go away!"

His captive seemed worried, so she walked over to his side. "Is there something I can do?"

"These thoughts…won't go away…no matter how hard I try to suppress them…"

"What thoughts?"

"I don't know…I just can't make them stop!"

"Do you want me to help?"

"Make the visions stop!"

"I could conjure up a sleeping brew from a few of the potion ingredients in your cupboard…"

"Sleeping only makes it worse…" He curled up in a ball, clutching his head.

"Perhaps a bit of meditation will help to focus your mind on the thoughts you want to have and fade out the ones you don't want. I know that helps me sometimes."

Wolzard looked up. "Yes, meditation. That should help…" He stood up, breathing heavily. "Go away, I need to meditate."

"Charlie! Presents!" Clare shouted, scaring Chip a little. He didn't really want a party, let alone presents. It was a bit too much for him. Vida pulled out Chip's chair away from the table, and Madison led him to the large armchair in the middle of the living room.

"You didn't need to do this, everyone…" Chip said, mildly blushing.

"But your birthday only comes once a year!" Clare replied.

"Yeah, so be happy and open your damn presents before I punch you!" Vida replied.

"Vida!" Madison said, narrowing her eyes.

"Sorry."

"So, who's present is first?" Clare asked.

"He can open mine first." Nick said, passing over a long and moderately heavy box wrapped in shiny red gift wrap. Chip looked at it and gave Nick a look. "What?"

"Why is there paper all over the box?"

"It's a tradition. Just rip it open and see what's inside."

Chip looked back at the box and did as Nick instructed.

Inside sat a large black case. Chip looked at Nick. "Open it. It all goes together." Chip opened the large case and found a mostly metallic and highly mechanical hunting bow.

"Oh…wow." Chip was impressed. "Whoever made this out of nothing but metal must be pretty good…" Chip picked it up and weighed it out. "Not terribly heavy, but my longbow is lighter than it…"

"You like it?"

"I'm curious to try it out."

"Great." Nick smiled.

"So, who's next?" Clare asked, smiling as Chip happily closed the case and sat it on the floor. Madison stood up against the chair and smiled.

Tsubasa scratched at the back door and squawked, which made Clare get up from her chair and open the door for him. Tsubasa walked in and shook the snow off his back as he took great care of the package which he was carrying in his beak.

"Oh, Tsubasa!" Chip smiled. "You didn't have to…"

Tsubasa sat the box in Chip's lap, and Chip rewarded him with a loving pat on the back. He untied the twine which held the parchment paper in place.

Inside sat a long yellow wool scarf with little pink wings sewn in at each end, along with one of Vida's numerous hippogryph feather dolls.

"Aw, thanks!" He hugged Tsubasa around the neck and got a loving squawk in return. "I'll wear this scarf happily, and I'll hang this little hippogryph doll on my broom." He smiled widely as Tsubasa curled up at his feet and sighed happily, waving his tail about.

"Okay, I'll give you my gift next." Yuri said, handing him a parcel that was larger than Nick's.

Chip softly unwound the silk wrapping from the gift, and as soon as he hit the end, a giant black folded garment sat there.

"Open it up." Yuri said, grinning. Chip opened it up and stood up, revealing a long black robe with intricate black stitching on the back and silver stitching on the wide sleeves. "It's a meditation robe!" She said with glee.

"I thought this was what it was…I've never actually been this close to one, but…it's a lot better looking up close."

"I'm glad you like it." Yuri said with a bow. Sky stepped forwards, holding a small box in front of him.

"I know it's not much, but…" Sky mumbled off. "…yeah…" Chip opened the small box up, and inside was an SPD Badge.

"Oh, neat."

"There's writing on the back…I thought it was funny, because it was given to me with the engraving from our guide here. I presumed that he got it from you…I thought it only right to give it back."

Chip flipped the shield-shaped badge over and read the inscription.

_Chip,_

_Here's hoping your winters are always filled with cheer…_

_even if you find yourself far from the ones you love._

_-Cpt. Sky Tate_

Chip looked at the inscription, then at Sky. "Nice message."

"Yeah, I thought so too. I had no idea what it meant until the other day, though."

Chip smiled, setting the badge back into the box and setting it on top of the rest of the gifts. "Thank you."

"Okay, I think you should open mine next." Clare said, handing Chip a heavy rectangular parcel wrapped in tissue paper and tied up in a white sparkly ribbon.

"Oh, it's wrapped up very nicely…I don't wanna ruin it…" Chip replied.

"Oh, open it! I know you'll like it!" Clare replied, clamping her hands together and smiling.

Chip complied and unwrapped the parcel, revealing a large hardback and leather-bound book. The words "The Panaceatome: From Common Cures to Exotic Antidotes".

"Oh, wow…this looks brand new…" Chip said, opening up the book and browsing.

"Yeah, the guy at the apothecary just got it yesterday. I know you're usually brewing healing potions and stuff, so I thought you could make use of it."

"I'll try this one I just turned to tomorrow." Chip replied with a brief smile before closing up the book and putting it with the rest of the gifts.

Sorin grinned. "I have a really large gift, so-"

Kiran popped out from the lamp and glared. "Master! I want to give my gift first!"

"Oh, Kiran…um…okay…"

Kiran grinned and gave Chip a small bag. "I have very little to give, as a monastic servant of Sungel, but I did my best."

"I'll like it, regardless." Chip said, taking the small bag from Kiran.

Inside, underneath a few scrap papers lied a strange item: a greyish blue cloth fashioned to look like a mouse of sorts was stuffed with wool and hand-sewn together, then decorated with two of Tsubasa's feathers to imitate wings and decorated with tiny gold bangles and a gold collar with a bell attached.

"Oh…is this a…mouse?" Chip didn't understand the gift's purpose.

"Yes it is! It's a lucky mouse!" Kiran replied with a Cheshire-like grin. "Every time the bell rings, a wish comes true."

"Well, I'm gonna need this mouse, then." Chip laughed softly. "I like it…did you make this yourself?"

"I worked very hard on it on my own, yes."

"I didn't think cat genies could sew this well."

"Thank you, Mr. Chip."

"Now my gift?" Sorin said, sounding a bit miffed at the fact that Kiran jumped in front of him.

"Of course Master Sungel." Kiran bowed as Chip delicately set the lucky mouse in the bag and with the rest of the gifts.

Sorin set a heavy box down on Chip's lap; the weight gave Chip the feeling that it was going to crush his thighs at any given moment. He quickly opened the box and nearly collapsed at the sight inside.

Inside sat a set of gold armor that was fashioned to look similar to the Solar Knight armor Sorin wore.

"I hope you don't mind training in the morning." Sorin said. Chip realized what he meant.

"Not at all." Chip said, his eyes glowing with a sort of pride.

"Well, at least I won't be freezing to death on my own." Nick commented, his words sounding half like a joke and half like sarcasm.

Midhat smiled as he watched the scene from his mirror. "My gift shall come soon! I'm so thrilled, Master!"

Madison helped Chip out of the chair. "Vida and I have a gift too, and it's probably a tad bit heavier than that armor, so we're gonna need you to come outside with us."

The trio put on their winter outfits and walked outside, and Vida covered Chip's eyes. "No peeking!" She said happily.

"We know you'll enjoy this." Madison said with a big grin. "We worked all week on it."

"Well, you'd BETTER like it." Vida said, pushing him along.

"My hands're sore from this, so you'd better." Madison said in a harsh tone as they trudged into the greenhouse.

The area was much warmer inside the greenhouse, and there wasn't any snow beneath them. It felt like a mild autumn inside.

"It's nice in here." Chip said.

"It'll be nicer once we get to your gift!" Vida said.

A minute longer of walking and they suddenly stopped. "Ready?" Vida asked.

"I'm ready." Chip said, grinning.

"TA DA!" The girls said as Vida took her hands away from his eyes.

Ahead of him lied a small, one-story, flat roofed log cabin with a perfectly built door and well-crafted handle. Four small windows, one window per side of the house, let just the right amount of light inside. They all started from the top of Chip's head and stopped at his hips, and were roughly the width of his shoulders, and they were built to double as seats.

Chip stared in wonder, astonished that the girls went out of their way to build him a house in their garden. "So now I guess you have your own place." Madison said. "Not that I mind sharing my bedroom…I just thought it would be nice for you to have a place here to retreat to that didn't belong to anybody else."

"Let's take him inside!" Vida said. "I'm freezing."

"Let's." Madison replied, and they dragged the stunned Chip inside.

Inside was a well-polished granite floor to take the hassle out of a dirt or wood floor. A granite fireplace pretty much came out of the floor, ready to use and protected with a large wrought iron gate to prevent embers from hitting anything. "I really worked myself into the bed raising the granite like that…I'm not a good Green Magician anymore. But hey, it'll keep the whole house warm."

Chip walked around and looked at the furniture. All of the furniture was made from finely crafted and polished mahogany; from the bed frames, to the armoire, the tables, chairs, and even the loveseat frame were all carved by hand. The mattress, cushions, and pillows were stuffed with refined down and cotton, and were all colored yellow. The bottom blanket to the bed was made of a light pink velvet and the comforter was made of heavy wool and dyed light blue. "I owe you for being such a bitch…but I'm going to need to borrow the loveseat…I'm exhausted." Vida sat down on Chip's bed and sighed.

The bathroom was located below the house, down a trap door and a small flight of stairs which sank down far enough to give Chip just enough head room to stand upright. Upstairs was a small setup for a kitchen; an icebox, a sink, and a few cabinets and drawers to house utensils and plates.

Vida looked around and marveled at hers and her sister's work, then smiled and sighed happily. She then noticed the note sitting on the table. "Hey sis, did you leave this here?" Vida asked, standing up. Madison got up from her place next to Chip at the fireplace and walked back over to her sister to look at the folded note. "Maybe, Vi."

Chip stared from afar, and a chill went up his spine. The light quiver within that had been warning him all along suddenly flared. "Put that down." Chip said.

"Chill out, it's just the blueprint we left here." Madison said as Vida opened up the note and found it blank. "Huh?" Vida looked confused until text suddenly appeared.

_Enjoy the moments while they last…a gift from me to you. Retribution for stealing what is mine…_

The words then changed to dust and shot up into Madison and Vida's faces, causing them to cough and choke. Vida tossed the letter as she dropped to the floor in agony. Chip pulled his scarf up around his mouth and pulled his blizzard goggles down from atop his head, making a makeshift gas mask as he walked over to them.

Where the dust had touched their skin had turned a sickly green, their irises slowly turning purple and red. "Oh Majiel…" Chip dropped to the floor.

Vida reached out and grabbed his boot. "I…can't see…"

"Oh Majiel…hang in there, you two." Chip said, gently picking them up with his gloved hands and tossing them over his shoulders. "I'll get you to Rootcore…I'll fix you both…"

"Damn those wenches!" Midhat shouted as he thrashed about. "That no good archer was supposed to open that! They ruined my gift! Damn them!" He then stopped himself and smiled. "Well, at least they'll be dead soon." He sighed as he watched Chip frantically rush about. "Perhaps…this gift may work out in my favor anyways." He smiled widely. "Yes, Master…we may have to utilize fewer plans than expected."

_The boy could never truly be a Madoushi…maybe at a previous time…but with the women around, he's grown soft._

"It's always a woman who makes the promising ones weak. That is why I devoted my life to your work with no womanly distraction."

_I do commend you on your loyalty and devotion…you've done well. Most of the Magicians are taken care of…your work is done…that is, unless you would like to tie up the Knight as well…_

"I have just the thing!"

_Good. Get to it._

Chip passed by the window of the Rocca residence, and Clare watched him and became curious. She ran out, which made Chip panic. "Don't come close!"

"What happened?" Clare asked.

"If you're going to touch them, cover up!" Chip screamed at her in a panicked tone. Clare panicked and ran inside, her own panic fueled by Chip's.

The group watched as Clare tossed her winter gear on in a jittery and rushed manner. "What's wrong?" Nick asked.

"Something's wrong with Madison and Vida…they've literally gone green…"

"How perplexing…" Sorin said, walking over calmly to grab his own things. "I'll come with you."

"Grab the potions book." Clare said. "I think we might need it…"

"I'll call Stella." Sky said. "If you need a nurse who needs to avoid direct contact with people, that is."

"Would you please?" Clare asked.

Wolzard meditated silently, channeling the Madou Energy from the circle drawn below him. A sharp flash of pain struck his head, and the Master's whispering voice entered his thoughts.

_I have a task for you. Challenge the Red Magician to a duel and destroy his Lightfire Amulet immediately. Its presence is a hinderance to our cause._

Wolzard didn't agree with destroying it, but never the less, he was ordered to. He finished meditating and stood up. "As you wish, Master." He teleported out to the surface.

Back in the throne room, Midhat smiled. "So he's gone?"

_The woman is sleeping. Destroy her during the duel._

"As you wish, Master." Midhat bowed. "The end is at hand…" He grinned.


	33. Ending the Hunt I

An hour later, the snow began to fall heavily, and Yuri left without letting the others know of her whereabouts. Chip was furiously going through the Panaceatome, trying to find something…anything he could brew up to save Madison and Vida.

Stella arrived, a pile of snow sitting on both shoulders. She closed her eyes, and a red wall of light extended from her body then drew back, tossing off the snow. "I'm sorry if I'm late…the snow's just falling in buckets from the sky…it really clouded my vision…but then again, how could I miss a giant tree?" She grinned.

"Your timing is perfect, Stella. Don't worry." Clare said. "The girls are upstairs in their rooms…their doors are the only ones that are unlocked."

"Thanks, Clare." Stella replied. "Can I set some of my stuff in a room somewhere…?"

"You can borrow my room." Chip replied without looking up from his book.

"Thanks, Birthday Boy." Stella said with a smile. Chip stopped for a moment, then continued back with his work.

Stella walked upstairs and entered Madison's room first. Madison's head jerked over to the door. "Who's there?" Madison weakly asked.

"Hey Madison, it's Stella, Sky's sister. Do you remember me?" Stella asked.

"You're the green one, right?" Madison's eyes jittered a bit as she strained to see.

"Yeah, I'm the one in green." Stella replied as she pulled out a device and began scanning the room with it. "Chip said you and Vida are having problems seeing."

"I can't see at all…neither can Vida." Madison replied in a raspy tone.

"I can tell from here that your eyes are abnormal…can you tell me what happened?" Stella looked at the device's reading and gave it an odd look. "…Huh. Well, this thing says that there are no biological agents in the room anywhere…so either you're not contagious and not even sick…or it's not biological and I'm swimming in it." She smiled. "I'll take my chances."

"I hope you don't contract this…" Madison said. "I wouldn't even wish this on Midhat…"

"I take it that's one of your enemies."

"I think he sent the letter…"

"Letter?"

"The letter said that this was retribution…it was supposed to affect Chip…"

"…I see. Well, I can assure you that he's hard at work looking for a cure."

"He shows he cares in the strangest ways."

"I can see why my brother and him are friends." Stella replied humorously.

"Your brother is quiet."

"Yeah, he's the withdrawn one, and I'm the loud one. He's also more focused on his job, too. Sharp like a razor, and about as cuddly as one, too." Stella snorted. Madison laughed softly, then began to cough. "Well, you seem like you're at least stabilized for the moment. I'm gonna go check on Vida, okay?" She sat a bell in Madison's hand. "If you need anything, just ring this bell."

"Okay…" Madison weakly smiled.

"I just want you to relax and conserve your strength. I'll be back in a few moments." She walked out and closed the door behind herself. As she walked to Madison's room, she heard a creak coming from upstairs. "Hm?" She looked up. "There's another floor…?"

She slowly snuck up the stairs and watched as somebody she didn't recognize walk out of Sungel's room, Kiran's lamp in hand. She stood up and startled him.

"Who are you?" Stella said, pointing at him. He jumped back a bit.

"Oh, hello there. I am Sungel." He replied, sliding the lamp into his cloak pocket.

"Hm…I thought you'd be a bit…less twiggy…in person." She replied.

"I've lost a little weight lately." He replied, his icy blue eyes giving a slightly hurt expression. "And who might you be?"

"The name's Stella Tate." She said, taking out her morpher and flipping it to display her ID. "Sorry if I scared you, Mr. Sungel…I just didn't know there was another floor up here…"

"This treehouse has plenty of surprises, my dear." He said, grinning. "Well, you can run along now; I'm quite busy as you can see." His tone was incredibly condescending, and it rubbed Stella the wrong way.

"Yeah." She replied coldly as she walked back downstairs.

"Bothersome pest." Midhat whispered to himself as he went into his old room. "Luckily, she was gullible."

Downstairs, Stella went to check up on Vida. She slowly opened the door and found Vida sitting at her dresser, rocking back and forth. Vida looked over at the door.

"Hey, Vida. It's me, Stella."

"Hi." Vida replied softly, then went back to staring at the mirror.

"How're you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Go away." Vida replied sternly.

"Well, Clare and Chip are worried, so they asked me to check up on you…"

Vida stared forward intensely. "I can't see, I can hardly move, my heart's racing a mile a minute, and I'm freezing cold. How the fuck do you think I feel?" She shouted as she began to cry. Stella nodded and sat the bell in her lap. "What is this?"

"If you want to talk, ring the bell, okay? I'm gonna go."

Vida grabbed Stella's arm, clinging to Stella's innate shield. "I'm sorry." She said as she cried harder.

"It's okay." Stella said, rubbing Vida's back softly.

"I didn't think I'd be paying back Chip like this…"

"Hm?"

"I hurt Chip a lot, but we've made up…I'm still trying to make sure I repay him for my mistakes…he's just a sad and lonely person, and I want him to feel like he's a part of my family and my friends. Majiel knows he'll be in my family eventually." Vida grinned and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Especially if I have anything to do with it." She sniffled.

"I wish him better luck in relationships than my brother." Stella joked.

"Your brother's nice. Quiet and orderly, but nice. He seems passionate about the work he does…am I right?"

"He's all work and no play."

"I think he'd do best with somebody who shared that passion, or appreciated his zeal." Vida nodded.

"Then he might as well take a vow of chastity…" Stella joked.

"Don't say that. There is always hope in love. Just because the right person isn't around now doesn't mean that they'll never come." Vida smiled.

"I guess you're right. Maybe I'm just lucky." Stella replied.

"You have somebody?"

"His best friend."

"Must make him jealous and worried."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, he's a friend of the family. What if your love hurts you? He'll be torn up."

"He'd cold-cock Bridge into the next millennium…after I sterilized him."

"…Such violence…I like the idea. Gives me things to think about with Chip, ya know?"

Stella laughed. "Yeah, I hear ya." She noticed the plush that Vida was holding onto; it was roughly the size of her keychain dolls, and it looked like a weird mermaid of sorts. "What's that you're holding?" Stella asked.

"Oh…I made a little doll of Spragel when I was young…I'm very religious…and I'm holding it in hopes that Maddie's okay."

"Well, if it puts you at ease, you and her seem to both be stabilized for the moment."

"It does." Vida replied.

"Well, I'm gonna go downstairs and see if they need my assistance, okay? Ring the bell if something comes up."

"Got it." Vida smiled. As Stella opened the door, she spoke up. "Hey…thanks."

"No problem." Stella replied.

Stella walked downstairs to see that Chip was setting up the cauldron. "Did you find something?" Stella asked.

"I think…the symptoms are very similar to what I found, if not exactly the same." Chip didn't look up from what he was doing. "Clare, I'm gonna read off the ingredients, could you bring them to me?"

"I'm at the cupboard as we speak, Charlie." Clare replied.

"Am I needed?" Stella asked.

"Go up and watch the girls." Chip replied, looking down at the book.

"'Kay." Stella replied, walking back upstairs.

"Okay…Clare, I need four cloves of garlic."

"Check." Clare put the roots in a small basket.

"A small piece of wormwood bark."

"Got it." She placed the wormwood branch in the basket.

"A palmful of grapefruit seeds."

"Check." She took out the jar of grapefruit seeds and put it in the basket.

"Three foxglove flowers."

"We have exactly three."

"What luck. They're out of season now, too."

"Yeah." Clare sat the small jar of foxglove flowers in the basket.

"Next is three crushed dandelion roots."

"You're gonna have to crush them yourself, but we've got a few here."

"Fine with me." Clare put them in her basket.

"Okay, last thing we need…is ground stickleberries."

Clare searched around, then found the stickleberry jar…empty. "Uh oh…we have a problem."

"No stickleberries?" Clare looked back at Chip with a pained and contorted face and nodded. "Hm…" Chip thought. "OH!"

"Hm?"

"There's an old friend of the family…he lives out in Mysteria…he knows where to find all sorts of things…and there's a special type of stickleberries that grow in winter up there…if you run into him, you'll definitely find the berries."

"Where do I find this…friend of yours?"

"He lives by the river…though he has a habit of moving up and down the river's edge…"

"Oh boy." Clare said. "Are you even sure he's alive?"

"Well, if anybody tried to track him down, they'd have a hard time killing him, that's for sure." He grinned. "Here, give me the stuff, and take the jar with you. You can get away with searching for him by flying low on the broom."

"Okay then…" Clare said, walking over and handing him the basket. "I'll be back whenever."

"Take care." He took the basket and grinned. Clare put on her winter clothes and walked towards the broom bay. She stopped and turned around before entering the hallway to the bay. "Wait, what does this guy look like?"

"Oh, it's hard to miss him. You definitely do a double-look when you see him." Chip grinned. "Now get going." He replied, narrowing his eyes.

"Fine, fine…" Clare said, tossing her scarf back and walking to her broom.

Nick sighed as he curled up on the living room couch at Xander's house. He flipped through the channels on the television in a bored fashion; he couldn't focus with the thought of Madison and Vida being sick, along with Xander still recovering. He had the unsettling feeling that things were being orchestrated to happen.

The TV blared a Christmas commercial, and Nick sighed. "Yeah, yeah, Christmas and Santa Claus…" He muttered. He felt awkward, feeling unaware if anybody knew Christmas around him. "Well, at least it saves me a lot of money…"

A cold chill went up his spine, causing him to jump off the couch and grab his wand. "Who's there?"

"Nobody's here…" A wavering voice called out. Nick looked over at the staircase, and Xander was weakly making his way down. He was getting better, but he still wasn't back up to speed. He was more groggy than weakened, by the looks of it.

"What're you doing out of bed?" Nick said, putting his wand back in his pocket and walking over to him.

"I need a glass of water…" He said, gripping the railing.

"I'll get you a glass of water, go back to bed."

"Okay…" Xander went to turn around, lost his footing, and crashed into Nick, taking them both down the rest of the stairs. "Ow…" Xander said. "Thanks for breaking my fall…"

"Get off of me." Nick said. "You're crushing my ribs."

"Fine…" Xander strained to get himself to his feet, but he only succeeded in rolling off of Nick. "Could you help me up?"

"Yeah. No need to ask." Nick picked Xander up and helped him back up to his room. "Sit down, relax, and I'll get you a glass of water from the kitchen."

"You're a good friend." Xander said, weakly smiling.

"You're really sick. Somebody should be here watching out for ya." He replied as he left the room. "Stay put!" Nick's voice rang out from behind the door.

Nick ran down the stairs and walked into the kitchen, quickly taking out a glass and summoning the water from the water pump. It strained him a bit to do so, since the water was cold and unwilling to move, but he managed just fine. A shiver traveled up his spine once more.

"Who's there?" He called out. Nobody answered, nothing moved. "…Maybe I'm focusing too hard on the detection training Sorin's got me doing…I'm probably just picking up old vibes from Yuri or something…"

He took the glass upstairs to Xander, who gave him puppy dog eyes as he walked in. "Where's Yuri?" He asked.

Nick handed him the glass to Xander, then frowned. "She left a while ago to do something…she didn't tell anybody any details."

"I wish she'd come back…" Xander replied, holding the glass tightly and looking down. "I woke up, and she wasn't here…and I was scared that something happened to her…"

Nick frowned and patted him on the back. "Don't worry. Yuri's fine. It's not like anybody could kill her."

"I miss her…" He whimpered.

Nick frowned. "Drink your water."

Xander took a few sips, then watered the lilies with what was left, sitting the glass down next to the pot. "Please don't leave the room…" He asked nicely. Nick frowned; he felt awkward seeing Xander like this, let alone being the only person around to take care of him. He wondered where Acantha was, and why she couldn't take care of him.

"I won't leave if you crawl into bed and sleep."

"You're a good mate, Nick." Xander said as he crawled back under the sheets.

"I try." Nick replied, covering Xander up and patting him on the back before sitting down in the chair in the room. "You want a bedtime story, too?"

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Xander replied, sounding much drearier than he had only a minute ago.

Nick levitated a book from his bookcase and began to read it, making sure that Xander was fast asleep before he got up. "Sleep well." Nick said, putting the book back on the shelf and walking over to Xander's side. "Don't get back up until somebody gets home, ya hear?" He ruffled Xander's hair and left the room.

He walked downstairs and saw Acantha in the kitchen. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, hello Nick!" Acantha said. "I've been out shopping for some food. The garden out back withered from the heavy blizzard, so I had to go out and buy things for dinner."

"Okay…"

"What were you doing up in Xander's room?" She asked as Nick sat down at the kitchen counter.

"He woke up, so I got him back in bed."

"How is he?"

"Looking better."

"Good to hear!" Acantha said with a smile. Nick felt a cold shiver up his spine once more, causing him to jump up again. "Something wrong?"

"Something's around here…I'm going to go check it out. Stay inside."

"Okay, Nick." Acantha reached for a butcher knife as he walked out. "If I see anyone suspicious, I'll take care of them."

"Stab'em then shout for me."

"Will do!" She said, saluting Nick as he grabbed his wand and walked out.

Kiran emerged from the lamp at the end of his catnap and realized that the setting had changed drastically. He found himself in Infershia's throne room, and before he could panic and retreat, several Hideacs jumped him as Midhat summoned a sealing circle around him. "You're not going anywhere, you flea-bitten furball."

"You listen here, you overgrown band-aid! Once Sorin knows you've taken me, he's going to come here and tear you to shreds!"

"Oh, but that's the point, Kiran…" Midhat laughed as he went back to monitoring Sorin's whereabouts.

Out in Mysteria, Clare fought the blizzard, using her magic to cut a path through the dense wall of heavy and swiftly moving snow. "I hope I find this guy…I have no flipping clue what he looks like…" Clare sighed. "Ah, Majiel, what have I gotten myself into?"

She flew above the icy waters and got an idea. She took the Snow Staff, restored it to its natural size, and pointed it at a block of ice. "Esprit Vocare." A white twinkle of light dropped from her wand and touched snowflakes and ice blocks alike, summoning the sprites within them. The tiny snow and ice sprites rose to greet her. "I am looking for a certain somebody, can you help me?"

"Who are you looking for, O Great White Magician?" A snow sprite asked.

"I am looking for a person who knows all there is to know about hidden things in Mysteria. I don't know his name, or what he looks like, but I am told that he's very easy to spot. Have any of you seen him?"

"Do you mean the Hermit? He's up a ways, and I've been told that if you are looking for something in Mysteria, he's the person to ask." An ice sprite said.

"That's what I heard about this person, too."

"He wears very odd clothing, so he shouldn't be hard to miss." The ice sprite replied.

"Oh! We know who you're talking about!" The snow sprites replied. "We'll get our friends to point you to him!"

"Thank you!" Clare said. The ice sprite returned to its duty, and the snow sprites flew around until a large group of snow sprites had formed a ball of floating snow that began to point Clare in the right direction.

Back at Rootcore, Stella was enticed to come back downstairs as she smelled the potion brewing. Most others would have gagged at the smell, but the garlic drew her in.

"Smells good, Chip." Stella said.

"I hope Clare's doing well in getting those stickleberries, or this'll just be one big pile of waste."

"…Stickleberries? Like, from Basta?"

"…What?" Chip asked, turning around and giving her a look.

All of a sudden, Sorin ran in.

"Hi there!" Stella said, waving.

"Has anybody seen Kiran?" Sorin asked.

"Wasn't he catnapping upstairs in his lamp?" Chip asked.

"What kind of lamp?" Stella asked.

"Blue and gold, a genie's lamp…you know…"

"Oh! Sungel came and took it with him." Stella replied.

Chip and Sorin gave her looks. "…He's Sungel, Stella." Chip said.

"…He is?" Stella asked, confused. "Then who did I meet upstairs…?"

The crystal ball turned back, then Midhat's image appeared. "Ah dear, you met me…" He laughed sadistically as Stella gave an embarrassed look and began to hide.

"What have you done with Kiran?" Sorin shouted.

Midhat laughed. "Oh, he's alive and well…" The screen focused on Kiran, who was caught in the sealing circle.

"What do you want from me?" Sorin shouted.

"I wish to fight, my old friend…meet me at the old place…if you defeat me, I will give this old puss back to you, since you hold him so dearly to you…" Midhat grinned. "I will be generous."

"I'll be there momentarily." Sorin said through gritted teeth. He looked over at Chip and Stella and sighed as the image of Midhat faded out. "Hold down the fort, you two."

"Will do." Stella said, saluting Sorin.

Clare followed the snow sprites through the blizzard, feeling relieved that everything was going smoothly. Suddenly, the snow sprites dispersed, leaving Clare lost in the wilderness. "Hey! Why're you guys leaving?" She said.

"He was here…but we guess that he left…" One of the sprites said. "Here, you're on your own."

"Wait!" She said as the sprite flew off. "Can't you just…stay…with me…?" Clare sighed. "I'm doomed…" She slowly continued trough the blizzard on her own.

She continued to fly through the storm until something caught her eye. A strange amalgam of colors sitting on the edge of the lake, a long black pole and string ascending upwards, then dropping into the water. Clare flew closer; the colors became clearer as she approached.

She landed nearby and drew her wand, approaching the patch of colors slowly. Shades of dragon leather brown, plum, mud brown, and a fleshy tone began to focus as she approached; suddenly, the figure turned around, causing Clare to jump.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Clare screamed, to which the creature replied, "Oh geez…"

The creature lodged the fishing pole under a rock and walked up to Clare, who was still panicking. "Don't…come any closer!" Clare warned, pointing the Snow Crystal at it.

"Hey, hey…not looking for trouble here, Miss…" The creature standing in front of her had a deep and gruff voice to match his exterior.

He didn't look very human with his beady eyes, long jagged nails and gnarled and clawed hands; he looked more like an overgrown and distorted goblin of sorts. All of the colors could be properly identified now; the fleshy tone was his skin, the dragon leather belonged to his belt and the various panels of his crude belt, the plum belonged to his knit puffy sweater, and the mud brown belonged to his puffy pants and skull cap which covered up a good portion of his thick black hair. He wore a pair of boots Clare could easily see Chip wearing; she figured that they were the choice boots of the adventuring type.

"Now, excuse me, Miss…I'm guessing you're not from around these parts, so I'm just gonna warn ya that you don't just whip out a wand and threaten to beat somebody up around here, especially while shaking like a rattlesnake's tail like that. You're just asking for a beatdown, I can tell ya that." The creature said.

Clare sat the wand to her side. "Forgive me. You startled me."

"Ah, it's okay. I startle a lot of people the first time they run into me."

"Okay then…" Clare was confused, but she continued along. She summoned the snow beneath and around them to dissipate and hide them in a giant globe. The creature looked around in awe.

"Oh, you're one of those White Magicians, aren't you?"

"Mhm."

"What's a White Magician doing around here…?"

"I'm looking for somebody."

"Oh then, you've met the right person to ask." The creature beamed with pride. "Ask away."

"I'm looking for a person whom I'm told knows about things in Mysteria that are…hidden."

"Oh, that's me!" He replied. "Name's Phineas. Pleased to meet ya."

"You're the one Charlie sent me out here to find?"

"Charlie? Little Charlie Thorn? He's still alive?" Phineas asked.

"Yeah, he's alive."

"I heard the boy got waterboarded 'til he was blue in the face then they hacked him up into tiny little pieces and fed'em to the Hideacs."

"Lovely." Clare said with a mildly disgusted look on her face.

"So, what do ya need, Miss?"

"I'm looking for stickleberries."

"In the winter? There's only one place to get'em in the whole world in the winter, and that's up in the northern range!"

"Would you come with me to show me the way?"

"Well, the fish aren't bitin' much here…they might be upstream…so…sure I'll come with ya." He ran over to grab his fishing pole, then ran back to Clare's side. "So, we walkin' or…?"

"I have a broom we can take."

"Ooh! A broom! Lead the way!"

Sorin arrived in a sprawling field in the mountain plains in Mysteria, dressed in full Saint regalia. The old feeling of total authority he had once felt had disappeared from the Saint Armor he wore, but the feelings of duty and honor still remained.

On the field stood Taranis, looking more dead in this form than he did as Midhat. "Oh, you came dressed up to the party. How wonderful."

"Where is Kiran?" Sorin demanded.

"Temper, temper, brave Sungel…" Midhat replied as he revealed his fan from up his sleeve. He pointed it behind him, bringing Kiran to the surface, along with several Hideacs guarding the sealing circle with spears and axes. "There's your little cat. Shall we fight?"

"Gladly." Sorin summoned his Solar Sword. "Shall we fight by our master's rules?"

"…Our master? Sungel, do you truly believe that Bragel was my master?"

"…Huh?" Sorin dropped his fighting stance and stood, ready to listen to Midhat's explanation.

"No, no, you fool…Bragel was merely my assistant."

"Assistant?"

"Him and I set a goal to record every Madou spell known to this wretched planet…I have loved dark magic for as far back as I could remember, you see…and Bragel's devotion, I knew he would assist me if he believed that this would aid him in finding a way to destroy all Madou energies. I will admit, he did teach me a valuable lesson: 'Know your enemy as well as you know yourself.' I know that you love your beloved cat and that you cherish the lives of the pathetic Magicians more than anything else, and I knew then that Bragel would not rest until he had destroyed my master…why do you think I proposed that he go in once I had…'weakened'…my master?" Midhat laughed.

"You tricked him…you killed him!"

"I can tell that this knowledge hurts you…that pleases me to know that you mourn his loss…your pain fuels the darkness within you…the more you hurt, the stronger I am."

Sorin took a deep breath and glared. Being upset wasn't going to help him focus. Midhat transformed into his Saint armor and transmuted his fan into a black flamberge. "Shall we begin?"

"Gladly." Sorin replied.

Back in Briarwood, Nick found himself confused. He had searched the entire premises for whatever he had been feeling, but the only coldness came from the rushing wind and snow.

"What did Sorin say if something like this happened and I lost a trail…?" Nick said, stopping in the snow. "'Focus on the energy, however miniscule it may be.'…I'll try." Nick sighed and closed his eyes, thinking only on the shiver in his spine. He focused harder on the residues of energies that lie dormant around him, and suddenly, a trail emerged. He opened his eyes, and trail of purple so faint, that his eyes nearly missed it appeared. "Just a little extra focus does the trick." Nick said, smiling to himself as he began following the trail.

Sorin's sword slammed against Midhat's, sending sparks flying everywhere. He quickly spun around and attacked again, aiming for Midhat's waist. Midhat countered with a kick to the stomach, knocking him back.

"Mezaara." He pointed his sword below the fallen Sorin, causing a Madou Circle to conjure up beneath him, then disappear.

"Master, get back up!" Kiran shouted. Sungel pulled his legs back while pressing his palms behind his back, giving him enough spring to bounce up and stand straight up.

"That was nothing." Sorin replied, pushing a flack of dust off his shoulder.

"Oh, I'll give you something." Midhat taunted.

Sorin charged his gold-armored nemesis and leaped into the air midway. "Luuma Gojika!" He swung his sword, sending the golden blast in an arc aimed straight for the exposed area in the front of Midhat's throat between his helmet and his collar. Midhat managed to keep the blow from slicing his throat open, but the attack sent him hurtling backwards, rolling across the ground like a gold-plated armadillo. Midhat landed on his face, his tail waving about in the air letting Sorin know he was down, yet not out.

"Oh, what a ride…that was fun…" Midhat said as he pushed himself back up and grabbed his sword. Then, in the blink of an eye, Midhat got up onto his feet, ran over, and placed his sword to Sorin's throat. "Care to try again?"

Sorin took two steps back and one to the side, making Midhat chase him at an angle. He was prepared for a strike to the chest, yet Midhat swung at his kneecap, scratching his armor and stunning him long enough for Midhat to spin around and use his armor tail as a whip and send him flying into a rock formation nearby.

Sorin jumped up and used the sun behind Midhat against him by turning his blade and focusing the light into Midhat's eyes. Midhat howled in pain, dropped his sword and grabbed at his eyes, giving Sorin enough time to run up and start his attack.

He leaped in the air and crashed the hilt of his sword against Midhat's helmet, nearly knocking his head down between his knees and causing him to stumble back a few steps. He then cut underneath one of the gauntlets with precise accuracy, flinging the thing completely off, then while Midhat was stunned from that, he kicked Midhat in the chest. The tail flew up from behind Midhat, and Sorin blocked it, then spun, his blade outstretched and aimed perfectly to cut directly above his belt and below where his breastplate ended. A thick, black viscous liquid sputtered out, emitting a putrid smell in the air and causing Midhat to wince. "Oh, lovely…" He commented, sounding upset. "You cut through a bandage." He looked up while coddling his wound. "Do you know how hard it is to find quality cloth these days?"

"You're…bleeding. Aren't you worried about that?"

"By Enma, of course not! I've been dead for nearly twenty years; I've no use for blood…or whatever's left of it…" He looked down at his bandaged hands, which were soaked in the black goo. "Oh, this will never wash out…"

Sorin kicked the hole he had made, his foot diving into the wound before the inertia shook it loose and sent Midhat toppling backwards. His tail stopped the fall, but not before a sickening sound of old cloth and even older flesh ripping apart, causing more black liquid to pour up from the sides, and Midhat winced a bit more and from his throat, a mangled moan erupted as he was nearly torn in half by the weight of his own armor. Midhat let himself fall flatly on his back, black debris bouncing out of his wound, then dropping back in with a light splash. "Ugh…" Midhat moaned.

"Give me back Kiran and his lamp." Sorin said, holding out a hand to receive the lamp in.

Midhat laughed softly, picking his ungauntleted arm up and pointing at Sorin. "You think you've won…I still have one thing left…"

"Oh really?"

"Yes…in fact, I dare you to charge at me."

"You really crave a full death instead of your half-death?" Sorin said.

"We'll see who's half-dead and dead by the end of this." Midhat smiled. "Do it, you coward, or the pussy gets shocked." He pointed back to Kiran.

"Master, it's some sort of trap!" Kiran shouted. "Don't do it!"

"I can't let you be hurt because I feared a trap." Sorin nodded and charged. He leaped into the air, and Midhat smiled.

"Mezaara Zazare Zanga."

The Madou Circle from earlier reappeared on Sorin's back and expanded, becoming full sized. Before Sungel knew what had happened, the four prongs of the Madou Circle aligned themselves with his throat, wrists and ankles, then shot out binding tentacles that tied him to the floating Madou Circle itself. It bound both his ankles together, set his arms perpendicular to his body, and began to weakly strangle him. Midhat pointed upwards and the Madou Circle began to float up higher into the air.

"I must thank your master for finding this neat little trick for me…"

Sorin tried to struggle out of the binds as Midhat smiled. The more he struggled, the tighter the binds became. "You see…I wear gold armor…not because it is a perfectly elegant metal, but it serves a beautiful purpose…" He waved his fingers, conjuring another Madou Circle directly in front of Sorin that began to rotate slowly. "Gold is a beautiful conductor of electricity, as I shall show you first-hand." He grinned. "Douza Mejira Zazaado."

Sorin's eyes widened as the Madou Circle in front of him glowed brightly and before he could take his next breath, four black bolts of electricity surged out and started to fry Sorin. Sorin tried to scream, but the vocalizations would not come out of his throat.

"Comfortable, child?" Midhat laughed.

Sorin winced as the surging energy began to heat his armor, searing his skin. Sorin closed his eyes and tried to focus his thoughts on trying to overpower the binds around him, on shutting off the thunder pillars.

Midhat cackled in joy. "An eternal sunset is at hand, Master…"

_Stop this. Return to Infershia._

"…Master…?"

_You are weakening yourself too much to complete your primary task. Return and leave this broken shell alone for the moment._

"…Yes…Master…" Midhat summoned a Madou Circle to bring him back. "My Master has granted you mercy for the moment, and so shall I. We will meet again." As he sunk into the Madou Circle, Midhat snapped his fingers, releasing Sorin and completely ending his spell. Sorin's unconscious body dropped from the sky and landed face-first where Midhat's body had once been. Kiran was released, and he instantly ran to his master's side. "Master Sorin!" He said, shaking an unarmored part of Sorin's body. "Master!"

Midhat arrived on the floor of the throne room, on top of the sealed hole that kept Enma from joining his servants in Infershia.

_You can hardly move…how did you expect to win a fight?_

"He was dying, Master Enma…I could feel his life fading…I could have squeezed the last bit of it out if you had let me stay a moment longer…"

_You still have to kill Wolzard's lone prisoner._

"I know that, master. I was keeping that all in mind…"

_You have been physically debilitated. I can fix that problem if you just relax and meditate for a few moments…_

"As you wish, Master." Midhat took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting the Madou energy pour out from the seal and into him, healing his wounds and filling his reserves back up.

Over in Mysteria, the snow was finally calming down a bit. Clare revved up her broom and they accelerated rapidly towards the mountains.

"Wow, this is one strange broom ya got here…" Phineas said, patting it on the side. "It's made of metal, and it goes real fast…where'd ya get it?"

"My friend's a Red Magician…he took a Terran vehicle called a motorcycle and he alchemed it into this broom."

"He, huh? You two must be pretty good friends if he got you a fancy broom, if ya catch my drift." Phineas winked.

"He did this for everybody, not just me."

"But look at the delicate paintings on it. He must've spent lots of time making it pretty."

"He painted everyone else's too."

"Ah…" Phineas looked about, but the snow was still too dense. "Ya think you can part the snow again, Miss?"

"Sure." Clare did as he asked.

"Over that way, Miss." Phineas said, pointing to a low point in the mountain range a bit to the left in the distance.

"Here we go." Clare said, maneuvering her bike in the direction Phineas pointed.

"So…you don't have a boyfriend?"

"No, I don't."

"Does the Red Magician?"

"I don't like him like that!" Clare shouted. "…He's not interested."

"Ah…"

"Why are you so interested in my love life, anyways?"

"Well, in this world where life's not guaranteed, I find it interesting to see who has somebody else."

"Well, do you?"

"Nope. But then again, I wander and roam all over Mysteria. Who wants somebody who does nothing but wanders everywhere?"

"I can think of somebody I know…" Clare laughed.

Back at Rootcore, Stella had finished her third visit to the girls within a fifteen-minute span.

"You should calm down." Chip said. "All your pacing around makes me think they are getting worse."

"Nope…just keeping them company." Stella replied with a smile. "Vida's a riot to talk to…she's really observant of everybody in the group, it seems."

Chip looked up. "What did she say about me?"

"You're…'really stubborn'…and 'sometimes sweet'…but mostly 'more dedicated than everybody else in Rootcore' about destroying Infershia."

Chip looked down and blushed a bit, letting his hood hide his face. "I'm shocked that she had something so nice to say…"

"Ah, you're not a bad guy from what I've seen. You're a nice, hard-working guy."

"Thanks."

"She was talking about all the crap that happened to you, and that's gotta be really tough. I admire your bravery."

"Thanks." Chip replied, continuing to stir up what he had of the potion. He felt lucky that he could toss in the stickleberries late in the brewing process…he was hoping Clare would return soon.

Chip felt a small shiver up his spine coming from the direction of the archery field. "Stella, could you look outside into the backyard for me?"

"Sure." Stella replied, walking to the small double doors that led out to the archery range. "All I see is sn-wait…" Flecks of mud brown appeared in a swarm, approaching closer to Rootcore.

"What is it?"

"I see…something brown…" Straight lines of black swung around. "and black…is that a cleaver?"

Chip locked the double doors. "Tell me what's outside the main entrance."

"Checking." She went to walk towards the main entrance until she heard several clinking sounds coming from the second floor, followed by the sounds of solid objects striking the walls. "Somebody's scaling the walls…"

Chip sealed the main entrance. "Go upstairs."

"Don't need to ask." She said, dashing up the stairs.

Nick began treading down the streets, down towards the town center, following the trail of Madou energy. It had progressively gotten stronger as he ran down the trail from Xander's house to the rest of town, and be was certain that he was on the right track.

He shivered lightly as he made it to the edge of town, which made him confident. He got a brilliant idea of how to get there faster; he summoned a pillar of fire around him which melted the ice, giving him a better terrain to move on.

He grinned and ran down the long winding hill into the center of town.

He leaped over fences, ran down alleyways, and dived under an unusually low clothesline before he caught sight of the town center.

The fountain was a sparkling array of icicles and fairy lights, and staring upwards at Majiel's marble visage was Wolzard. Wolzard noticed Nick and sighed happily.

"There you are." He said.

"You've been stalking me. What do you want?"

"You know what I want. Hand over the Lightfire Amulet." He extended a hand out towards Nick.

"Over my dead body." Nick said, clutching the amulet as he unsummoned the pillar of fire.

"Gladly." With a wave of his sword, Wolzard melted all the snow from the town square, leaving it dry as a bone and causing the fountain to flow once more. "I'll give you a moment to recover from your long run here. I'd hate to kill you while you were tired."

"Gee, how nice of you." Nick replied sarcastically as he began to breathe heavily.

Meanwhile, Midhat, who was fully healed and restored by Enma, wandered into Wolzard's chambers wearing his priest robes. He spotted the captive sweeping out a cage on the third floor, a bipedal demonic beast with long claws wandering around impatiently for its cage to be cleaned.

"Heel, Garra." The prisoner said. Midhat levitated softly across the floor to avoid being heard by both the prisoner and Garra. Garra, however, sniffed out the dried fluids that leaked out earlier from Midhat's abdomen, and it turned around and growled, the fur on the back of its neck sticking up. The prisoner turned around.

By then, Midhat had already teleported behind her. Neither Garra nor the prisoner had time to react to Midhat's teleporting; in less time it took to blink, he had teleported from the ground floor, behind the prisoner, snagged her, then teleported back down.

"I knew that I knew your soft voice, you pathetic little Terran…" Midhat said, strangling the prisoner. "I know not his reasoning for keeping you alive, sorceress, but you've lived long enough. You'll be joining your husband and your daughter in oblivion soon…"

Garra leaped from the second story, and as soon as Midhat caught the motion from the corner of his eye, he whipped out his folded fan and tossed it at Garra. The fan caught Garra in the chest, dropping him like a bag of bricks.

"Garra!" The prisoner screamed.

"So many people die around you, Udonna…perhaps this is Enma's way of telling you to just give in and die so your soul can join with his in eternity…"

Udonna struggled to break free of his vice grip, but all she could do was flail her legs around wildly. She then decided to teleport to safety, and she did so in an instant. She teleported to her own cell to catch a breath and dig out a shard of white crystal from her hidden stash under a loose plate in the floor. She then, while Midhat was too busy following her, teleported over to Garra and removed the fan, tossing it aside. Midhat didn't realize where she went until his fan hit the floor, but by then, Garra had been healed enough to still be alive and Udonna was now back on the second floor.

"You can't keep on running forever!" He shouted, teleporting up to greet her. He grabbed her by the throat once more and, jumping from the second floor, sent them both flying down to the ground. Udonna felt her insides quiver at impact, and she coughed up a bit of blood. Midhat picked her up like a ragdoll. "One little squeeze, and you can sleep eternally, I promise."

"You traitor." Udonna spat out, the blood shining between her teeth.

"Do you have any better last words than that? As the almighty Udonna, Bragel's favorite little Terran, bearer of his children, and 'legendary sorceress' extraordinaire, I thought you'd have more to say!" Midhat taunted.

A tiny little bat rolled into the room, catching Midhat's attention. As it touched his left boot, it began to smoke, shriek, and maniacally laugh. "How about, 'drop the woman and I'll spare you.'?" A deep voice called out from the doorway. Instantly, Midhat felt his grip completely loosen from Udonna's throat, and once he did, he fumed, summoned his fan to his hand, and with one good swing, blew the smoke away.

From the second floor balcony, he saw large black bat wings folded around Udonna, which, once unfurled, revealed Yuri standing above her.

"You…how dare you!" Midhat shouted.

Yuri bent down and helped Udonna up. "You called?"

"You have impeccable timing." Udonna said, grabbing her throat softly and smiling weakly.

"Mido-kun says that, too." Yuri blushed. She then turned around to face Midhat. "She is under my protection. Leave her be."

"I highly doubt that you can save her from me." Midhat replied, smirking.

"How about a duel? We're both civilized beings, I presume."

"I don't do those sorts of things unless I start them."

"You owe me for bringing you here to your Master…I gave you the chance to live once more instead of rotting in a coffin for eternity."

Midhat looked to the side and slightly down, pondering her words. "I suppose you are right. I do owe you one thing. A fight?"

"If I win, you must leave her alone. If you win, you can kill her."

"I don't agree with your terms fully, but I won't lose. I suppose that we can do this."

"Then let's begin."


	34. Ending The Hunt II

Yuri jumped down from the second floor, claws extended as she dropped down to the floor. Midhat barely dodged the attack, the hems of his robe getting clawed up.

Midhat took his fan and slammed it against Yuri's face, sending her spiraling around to the floor. She slowly picked herself up to her knees.

"I will show you oblivion…" Midhat said, causing his fan to turn into a long battle staff.

"I'd like to see you try…" Yuri replied coldly, taking Uru-kun out of her purse while crouching.

Stella dashed upstairs into Vida's room, startling the blind and now coughing Rocca.

"Can you lock the doors and windows?" She asked Vida.

"What're…" She coughed. "What're those sounds?"

"I'm not sure, but I wanna get you out of here before we can find out."

"Okay." Vida locked her balcony window with her wand.

"I'll get your blanket, and then we'll get Madison."

A few seconds later, Stella dashed out of Vida's room with Vida over her shoulder, and Vida locked her bedroom door, along with Xander's, which was close by hers. They dashed into Madison's room, and Vida managed to lock Madison's window as well.

Madison coughed heavily as Stella began picking her up out of bed, blanket and all, and carrying her out of the room. As they ran out of the room, Vida locked the door, and attempted to shut and lock Chip's, but it wouldn't close.

"Vida…there's something there…" Stella said nervously.

"What is it?" Vida asked.

A Hideac stood in the doorway, looking rather rabid and hungry.

"Hold on tightly…" Stella said, pushing her shield towards the back of her to guard Madison and Vida's heads, as well as prepare for her attack. "I just hope nobody decides to attack us from the front…"

The Hideac charged at her, and she turned around. "C'mon…just a little closer…"

The Hideac came within range, and she grinned as she body checked it into the wall next to her with her back. As waited for it to squirm about until she focused her shield at various points, causing little spikes to erupt from the surface and drive themselves into the Hideac. The result was a spray of brownish red goo to fly out of its body, all over the shield. Stella then tossed the Hideac attached to her shield at the second Hideac that charged at her, knocking it to the floor. "Lock Chip's and Nick's doors!" Stella said as she focused on returning her shield to normal.

Clare landed in the mountains nearby a small patch of stickleberries, and Phineas jumped off the back of the broom. "I'll pick those for ya…they're delicate this time of year." He replied. "Got a basket?" Clare handed him the Mason jar from her sidebag. "Oh, a jam jar! Perfect! You can put a ton of those little buggers in here!"

Phineas opened the jar and walked over to the tallest of the stickleberry bushes. The snow rushed suddenly, alerting Clare that all was not right. She moved herself and her broom closer to the bushes.

"I hope you're not gonna take off from here, because these here bushes are really sensitive…"

"I think something may be coming…" She eyed the crack in the mountain where the snow whipped around the harshest. She saw a bit of white cloth from a Hideac's facemask flutter about and she panicked. "Oh boy…oh boy…oh boy…"

"You need something?"

"Stay here…" she pulled out her Snow Staff and aimed at the crevice, waiting for the demons to run out at her. As if on cue, a few seconds later, the Hideacs ran at her. She came up with a brilliant idea, so she grinned and pointed her staff up to the sky. "Lavantase!" She shouted, causing the snow to focus and drop heavily on top of the Hideacs, crushing them.

"You done collecting them, Phineas?" She asked as she spotted a few more Hideacs coming up around the bend.

"Can I just have one?"

"Is there enough for me?"

"Oh yeah, we got lucky…this bush still has a ton of 'em!"

"Sure, take one, and just one." She said, taking her broom and Phineas away from the opening.

"Hey, what's going on?" Phineas asked as he put the Mason jar back together.

"I'm gonna get you off this mountain quick, then I gotta go. They're chasing me."

"Well, why can't I go with ya?"

"…Your place is here! Where would people know where stickleberries were this time of year without you?"

Phineas thought for a moment, then handed her the jar and grinned, which showed off his numerous rows of fangs. Clare gave a bit of a disturbed look, but took the jar and smiled back anyways as she slid it into her sidebag. "You're right. Just drop me off back at my fishing pole, I guess."

Clare moved her broom and Phineas over to the edge of the cliff. "Ready?"

"Ready when you are, Miss." Phineas said, sitting down on her broom. She watched as the second wave of Hideacs moved in on them, then she revved her engine and took off down the side of the cliff.

"WHOA!" Phineas shouted as they dropped, grabbing his hat. Clare made sure to pull up right before they hit the ground, stunning Phineas a bit. They rode off towards Phineas's fishing pole, both happy to be alive.

Nick stared Wolzard down. "Okay, I'm ready." Nick reached for his wand, but Wolzard decided to strike first, considering the little charm about Nick's neck. His shield opened up, and a pair of Madou Wolves charged at Nick.

Nick panicked and braced for impact, but as the Wolves approached, a wall of white light repelled them and sent them crashing into the ground to his sides, crushing the cobblestone plates that lined the town square around him. Nick slowly dropped his guard and looked down at his neck. The Lightfire Amulet shined brightly and felt blazing hot around his neck.

"The Amulet's power is still strong…" Wolzard muttered to himself.

"Whoa…what happened…?" Nick said in awe.

"The Amulet…keeps you from my touch. Within it is the essence of the Light from which all Mahou energy comes from…it can't be allowed to exist within my Master's world…"

Nick grabbed the Amulet tightly, feeling the magical heat pour into his icy cold hands.

"It'll be a cold day in Infershia before you take this amulet from me."

"Winter doesn't only happen on the surface world…" Wolzard replied slyly, pointing his sword at Nick.

Nick grimaced and stood up straight. He closed his eyes, and reached down for his wand as the Mahou Circle opened up beneath him, transforming him midway through movement. As he revealed his wand, it became his MagiStaff already transformed into a sword. He took a defensive stance. "Okay, now I'm really ready."

Nick made a running leap at Wolzard, which made the Madoushi laugh. He flipped his sword around, grabbed below the W-shaped guard of his sword, and just as Nick dropped within range, he drove the pommel of his sword into Nick's stomach, sending him flying into the fountain.

"I cannot touch you in your plainclothes, but as you can see, you're not fully invincible."

Nick picked himself out of the fountain slowly, the water evaporating off of him as he got to his feet and stood up. "That doesn't bother me any. I don't need to be invincible to beat you." He once again charged at Wolzard, and halfway to the target, he leaped in the air.

Back at Rootcore, Stella sat the sisters by the fire and then turned towards Chip, who was moving a bookcase in front of the backdoor while stirring, his back turned to the situation.

"How are they?" Chip asked bluntly.

"They're coughing badly." Stella replied. "I wanted to give them some water, but I was gonna ask you about that."

Chip's voice hitched a bit. "Clare will be here soon…I hope."

Several Hideacs charged down the stairs, and Stella ran to greet them in her own special way. She forced her shield into a blade around her left hand and began hacking the incoming Hideacs to pieces. "How did you guys get in?" She was shocked. She looked upwards and saw them coming in from the third floor. "Geez, you guys move quick for a bunch of…undead guys."

She dashed up the stairs, only to be ambushed on the second floor. A Hideac swung its axe and perfectly smacked her left elbow, shattering the stretched out shield on all of her left arm. "Oh crap." She kicked the axe-wielding Hideac and began wildly swinging her right arm around, sending arcs of red energy smashing into the Hideacs and knocking them back.

She went to reach for her morpher, but she couldn't find it. "Aw crap, what a time to be without it…"

She laid her left arm against the wall and let the axes and cleavers bounce off her shield, biding her time until her shield fully regenerated.

Down in Infershia, Yuri smiled and stood up, holding her hand in front of her and her back turned to Midhat.

"Just hold still…you won't feel a thing." Midhat said softly. Yuri grinned as he raised his arms up, exposing a great deal of his body. She turned around in a flash and opened Uru-kun's mouth, releasing a burst of flames that caught his robes on fire. He stumbled back, dropping his staff and trying to slap away the flames. "You…you little bitch!" He snapped in a high-pitched voice. "Agh! Mejira!" The flames dissipated in a flash of black lights.

Yuri marched forwards, Uru-kun prepared to strike again. Midhat summoned his staff, and on its way back to him, it cracked Yuri upside the back of her head, knocking her face-first to the ground and causing her to drop Uru-kun. Midhat grinned viciously and stepped on Uru-kun, crushing the flamethrower. "Oh…I'm sorry there…did I crush your little toy?"

Yuri grimaced, and as she pushed herself up, she pulled Koumori-chan out of her bag. She growled and leaped into the air, shadow strafing out of sight once Midhat had bought into her ruse and attacked. He picked the staff out of the floor and growled, looking around. "You can't hide forever!"

Yuri suddenly shadow strafed behind him, planting the tip of her stiletto into the back of his head and twisting, poking a hole in his headpiece. "Hey!" He shouted, falling face first to the floor.

He got up and swung the staff at Yuri, aiming the tip with his bladed fan at her boot. A swing and a connection, severing her leg at the knee, right where the boot ended. Her leg fell to the ground with a thud, as did Yuri. Udonna gasped and placed her hands to her mouth.

She looked up at him and winced, then aimed Koumori-chan's mouth at the pole attached to the fan. A jet of lime green acid shot out of Koumori-chan's mouth, melting the pole. The fan dropped from above, and with a sickening clink, it cleaved straight through Yuri's neck, rending her head from her shoulders. She disintegrated into black dust, and Midhat laughed maniacally. "What a champion she was…she finished herself off and saved me the work!"

Midhat grinned and faced Udonna. She quickly teleported away as he tried to quickly snag her. She cowered behind Garra's body and began to meditate.

"Why do you do what the dead do, Udonna? Your endless pain will lead to enlightenment!" From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of what remained of Yuri rise up and swirl. "Ah, the Queen Vampire Bitch comes to haunt me again…" Her ashes rose up into the air, continuously swirling like a small tornado, and suddenly, dispersing into a cloud. "She wishes to float like a miasma, trying to taunt me…but what good is she if she isn't solid?"

Midhat jumped down to Udonna's side, the detatched fan in hand. "Trust me, Udonna…it was better for you when I knew you were dead. You've tried to take Wolzard from his Master…you deserve this punish-"

SHINK.

Midhat found half a green slate axe in his shoulder, black fluids dripping around the wound it had made. "What is this…?"

"Counting me out early, are you?" Yuri grinned. "A gift, from Mido-kun to you." Yuri pulled it out and swung again, cleaving his right arm completely off, and with it, the fan dropped to the floor. Midhat dropped to his knees, and Yuri grinned. "An eye for an eye, a head for a head." She swung and lobbed Midhat's head clean off, sending it rolling and sputtering black fluids everywhere before hitting the wall and stopping.

"That was crude, but nonetheless effective." Udonna said, slightly shaken from the ordeal. Yuri collected her hand puppets and changed the axe back into Xander's wand. "…Tell me, how are you able to do that?"

"Oh, use Mido-kun's wand? Why, both him and I share the earth's warm bond…I, being a child of the earth mother, am able to control a few small things with this wand…but not much. Mido-kun does not mind me using this while he is asleep…I do not think…"

Udonna rubbed Garra's stomach until its eyes opened. "Come…we're going home." Udonna smiled.

If the helmet surrounding Nick's face hadn't kept others from seeing it, Wolzard would have seen the intense and focused glare of an enraged young man. "Goo Golu Gojika Lujuna! Phoenix Flare!" Nick's sword erupted into flames that spread all around him, quickly panning out into a pair of outstretched wings.

Wolzard held his sword out to parry, but was treated to an unusual surprise. Nick's sword grew so hot that it sliced straight through his sword like butter, cleaving the huge sword nearly in half. Wolzard stepped back in shock; he wasn't sure what had just happened, but he quickly sought to remedy the situation. "Uzaara Uuza Ujira." The shield opened up, releasing a superheated blast of Madou energy which combusted, knocking Nick away and back into the fountain and causing a thick wall of steam to rise up.

Nick slowly stood up, and Wolzard saw his chance to make the fight fair. He spun the sword hilt in his hand around, pommel resting gently against the tip of his thumb, and he charged Nick.

Nick regained his leverage and prepared a slicing attack on Wolzard's helmet, but Wolzard pulled his shield close to him, crouching down behind it as best as he could. As soon as Nick struck, Wolzard countered by knocking his sword away and leaving his body open. Wolzard then drove the top of his shield into Nick's stomach. While Nick was stunned from the attack, Wolzard jammed the pommel of his sword into the fleshy part of Nick's neck, causing a vicious reflex to occur and making Nick drop his sword.

Wolzard quickly kicked the sword away, then smacked Nick in the face with his shield, sending him spinning backwards and landing face-down in front of the fountain.

Back at Rootcore, Stella burrowed herself out of the part of the wall that she was pressed against with one large swing of her arm; her shield did most of the work on helping her retreat downstairs.

Downstairs, Tsubasa stood over the girls screeching and pecking at anything that came close, and Chip was trying his hardest from letting Hideacs come down the stairs. It was unusual; they just seemed to have only the purpose of hassling Stella and going after Vida and Madison.

Stella's shield hadn't completely healed, so as she leaned against Chip once she had descended the stairs, she could feel the plushness of his robes between her fingers. "Oh, yours's as soft as it looks." She commented.

"Why do you think I wear them all the time?" Chip gave a weak smile before firing on several Hideacs. "Here, stand at the bottom of the stairs. If anybody gets to you, just stab them or whatever."

"Well, the side I use to stab is out of order."

"Well then, go help Tsubasa." Chip snipped.

"Got it." Stella saluted, then preceded to run and jumpkick a Hideac that was bothering the young hippogryph. Tsubasa nuzzled her neck as thanks. "Aw, thank you."

Outside, the wind whipped about, the snow began to fall heavier. The wind kicked up the snow and spiraled it around Rootcore, ripping at the entering Hideacs and kicking them around, tearing them apart before dropping them to the ground.

Clare burst through the broom bay doors with the jar of stickleberries in hand. "I'm here! I'm here!" She shouted, handing the jar to Chip.

"Thank Majiel!" Chip shouted. "Go help Stella and Tsubasa out."

Tsubasa sat down next to Madison, who was coughing up fleck of blood along with Vida, who was shaking along with the whole ordeal.

"They're getting worse over here, you two…" Stella warned.

"I know, I'm working on it." Chip said frantically, getting the stickleberries in the cauldron as fast as he could. Clare put the rest of them away, then full-on charged the Hideacs, icing them over and beating on them relentlessly until not a single Hideac moved.

A few minutes went by, and both Clare and Chip had finished their deeds. Chip looked down and smiled. "Jinga Majiiro." He said, pointing his wand at the contents and turning them a deep and earthy brown. He then perfectly proportioned the antidote into mugs and gave them to Stella. "Make sure they drink them all."

Stella nodded and went to Vida first with her mug. "Okay, this smells rancid, but it'll make you better…I hope." Stella said as she softly tilted Vida's head back. "Say 'ah' for me…"

Back in the town square, Nick pushed himself up, only to find the tip of his own blade in his face. Wolzard glared down at him.

"Don't get up." Wolzard said. Nick defied him, only to have the blade placed against his throat, nearly piercing through his armor. "I said, don't get up."

"What, so now you've won?" Nick spat.

"I have defeated you in combat. Hand over the Amulet."

"I said over my dead body."

"Fine, so be it…" As Wolzard thrusted, Nick rapidly shouted the boxing gloves spell, sparing himself from an impaled neck and evening up the playing field. Nick sprang up to his feet and took a boxing position.

"Now, let's continue this fight." Nick glared at Wolzard, then charged at him. Wolzard wasn't entirely familiar with Nick's form of unarmed combat, so instead decided to use his shield as an extension of his arm.

Nick bounced on his legs a bit, getting into his old fighting groove. He slowly approached Wolzard, who stayed hidden behind his shield. He lightly jabbed at Wolzard's shield a few times, testing for a reaction. The last jab connected with Wolzard's shield, and Wolzard countered viciously by knocking Nick's hand away with the shield, then spun around and back kicked Nick in the chest, knocking the wind out of him.

"You're pretty desperate." Nick replied in a cocky and confident tone.

"I will admit that I have never fought like this before, so I am unsure of how long my victory shall take like this."

"Victory? You'll be lucky to be alive when this is all done!" Nick shouted, charging once more, this time more prepared.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, boy." Wolzard said, bracing himself as Nick charged.

Nick began wildly throwing crosses and jabs, trying to catch Wolzard up, but with no luck. Nick gritted his teeth and pulled his right arm back. He couldn't compete with the shield any longer.

"Jii Jiruma Gojika! Fire Strike!" Nick shouted, causing his right glove to become engulfed in flames, and he slammed his fist onto the sliding plate guarding the eye inside Wolzard's shield. The shield's wall became slightly dented, and triggered the door's opening.

"Ujira Zazzado!" Wolzard answered by knocking Nick back a bit and disorienting him.

Nick went to kick Wolzard, but Wolzard had the upper hand; he grabbed Nick's ankle and twisted him about, slamming him to the ground. Nick tried to roll out of the death grip, but he couldn't and only succeeded in twisting his own ankle. He winced and tried kicking with his other leg, but Wolzard tossed his shield away and grabbed Nick's other ankle. He then leaned his weight against both legs, falling down on top of him and nearly breaking both his legs at the knee. Nick cried out in pain as Wolzard began talking him down.

"I must say, you fought valiantly until the very end. You fought with honor and bravery, and I will let your friends know that when I bring your corpse to them." He coupled Nick's ankles together in one hand while grabbing the collar of his cape and pulling backwards, choking Nick. "Enjoying the view of your lovely diety?" Wolzard asked, referring to the Majiel statue.

"Yeah…whatever…"

"Normally, I would have just cut your head from your neck, but I no longer have a sword…"

"Glad…I could do that…for ya…" Nick said, straining to speak.

"Any last words to tell your Magician friends upon returning your corpse?"

"Nope." Nick could hear a growling from nearby, so he turned his head to look. Garra stood there, its scaly fur pointed straight up as it growled and prepared to strike.

"Ah, Garra…I presume the prisoner properly took care of you…come, finish this Mahoutsukai off." Wolzard said.

Garra charged and, instead of trying to tear Nick's head off, sunk its teeth into the hand attached to Nick's collar. Wolzard panicked as the fangs pierced the skin, letting go of Nick's collar and getting up. Garra continued his assault, getting up on its hind legs and clawing away at Wolzard. Wolzard responded by grabbing his shield and slamming the shield's door into Garra's temple, knocking the door back down most of the way and knocking Garra unconscious.

This had given Nick both enough time to recover and a brilliant idea. He got up slowly, not worrying about his ankle, and just as Wolzard was getting up, he summoned up another Fire strike, once again aiming at the shield's door. He dented the shield's door in completely, and along with the glove itself, finished shattering the eye hidden behind the door. A surge of Madou energy flowed from Wolzard and into Nick, severely injuring both fighters, and tossing Nick backwards and knocking him unconscious.

Wolzard lied on the ground, his eyes open wide, little translucent dots floating around his vision as he stared up at the sky. He shivered a bit before he was sat upright by Udonna, while Yuri tended to Garra.

Wolzard blinked and focused his vision as he laid his hand in his hand, which was bleeding through his armor from the puncture wounds. "You…why are you here…?" He asked Udonna.

"Our deal is off. I told you my vision…I told you he would betray you and your requests." Udonna replied.

"You're bleeding."

"He tried to kill me."

"I'll return and repay his disrespect." Wolzard slowly stood up.

"Don't go back. Don't you remember anything I said?"

"The Master will not allow any further actions from him."

"The Master doesn't care about you!" Yuri snapped as she walked up to him. "He doesn't care about you, he didn't care about Necrolai, he didn't care about me, he didn't care about Branken, and he certainly doesn't care about Midhat!"

"None of you were devoted to Enma. All you ever wanted was to benefit yourselves. I do everything for the Master!"

"And yet he lets Midhat walk all over you like a Persian rug." Yuri spat back.

"You'd like to think so, wouldn't you, traitor?" Wolzard snapped.

"Wolzard, my home is open to you, if you wish to return with us."

He pushed Udonna away. "I don't wish to return with either of you. You're both unworthy of my time." He grabbed his shield and turned his back to them. "We will not meet each other on such endearing terms again, Udonna."

"Believe what you want." Udonna said.

"Consider your debt void…I don't owe you your life any longer."

"I doubt you'll find the time or the energy to take it from me any time soon, Madoushi."

Wolzard lightly chuckled, then returned to Infershia.

"I'm sorry, Shiro-sama." Yuri said sadly.

"Don't be. He blindly refuses to believe my vision of his demise by his own doings. He chooses to act blindly to the truth, even when everything else I foretold has happened. I told him that you would leave, I told him Branken would fall by a Madoushi's blow, I told him Midhat would double-cross him, I told him our agreement would be broken by Midhat's hand, and I told him that if he continued blindly believing what he does, that he would be left powerless and abandoned." Udonna looked over at Yuri. "Madoushis, I find, have no capacity for believing in anything they themselves do not perceive as the truth through their own acts. Enma would never let him see the truth until the wool slides off his cold, dead face."

"I want to convince him."

"I guarantee you that he'll find the truth out sooner than you think." She looked out towards Rootcore. "Come, let us return home. The children need us."

Nick slowly woke up in his room at Rootcore and found a demonic mug happily panting at the end of his bed. Garra barked and scared Nick. He tensed up as Garra walked over on all fours and pulled back his sheets for him. "Uh…thanks." Garra wagged its long scaly tail and licked Nick's face with his sandpaper tongue, leaving a long trail of semi-gelatinous slime on his face. "Ugh…gross…" Nick said, slowly sitting up and turning to set his feet on the floor. His twisted ankle had been wrapped up and splinted for him, as well as his neck and a few of his bruised ribs.

Garra whimpered as Nick tried to get up. "What?" Nick asked. Garra stared at Nick's ankle, then back at Nick's face, which was still semi-covered in Garra's saliva. "I have to get up. I gotta go downstairs. I gotta make sure everybody's okay."

Garra bent down in front of Nick, which gave Nick a crazy idea. "You up for it?" He asked. Garra yelped happily. "Hope you don't regret it."

Downstairs, Chip woke up in a giant pile of people; Madison, Stella, Vida, Clare, Tsubasa, and himself had all fallen asleep in front of the fireplace. Madison had curled up in his arms, Stella and Clare fell asleep on opposite ends of the couch, Vida's head sat in the middle of the couch, and Tsubasa had spread out his wings for them to use as feathery blankets. Chip pulled Madison closer and smiled; the green had disappeared from her face, and she was no longer coughing.

Vida woke up and looked down at him. Her eyes were back to their darkish brown shade. "Hey there, Mr. Hero." Vida said to Chip as she lightly kicked his leg.

"I'm not a hero…" Chip said.

"You saved my sister and me. You're my hero." She replied in a floaty voice that was obviously meant to imply a joke.

"…Thanks." Chip replied. Madison hugged him tightly and curled up to him, and the only response he could think of was to wrap his arm around her.

Upstairs, Kiran sighed and checked on Sorin. He whipped up another batch of burn recovery salve and applied it to his arms, which were starting to peel a bit. "Poor Master…" Kiran sighed. "You'll be better soon…I hope…" Kiran frowned and continued applying his salve.

Stella got up and stretched her arms out. "Ah, we lived…" She said with a yawn. Vida looked up at her and Stella smiled. "Hey, you're looking great. So I take it the antidote worked?"

"I feel like a million bucks." Vida replied.

"Well, glad I could help out, but I gotta get going…" Stella slid off the couch, making sure to not disturb Clare. "Schuyler's prolly blown a gasket over him not being able to play babysitter with me for a full 24 hours."

"That's cool. Take care."

"You too, Vi. Call me if ya wanna hang out."

"Will do."

"Take care, Chip."

"You too."

Stella put her coat back on and slowly walked out of Rootcore.

From the second floor marched Garra on its hind legs, with Nick on its back, his arms wrapped around its neck.

"You're not so bad…for a drooly, scary looking dog-ish demon." Nick said, ruffling a patch of fur on Garra's shoulders. Tsubasa woke up slowly and squawked happily at Garra. Garra barked back. "So I see you two've met already." Nick said as Garra walked over and sat Nick on the floor. Madison and Clare woke up and panicked when they saw Garra. "Hey guys, it's cool. Nick said as Garra gingerly sat him down. "I'm not sure why, but he's with me…I guess."

"He looks pretty badass." Vida said. "Where'd you find him?"

"Well, it's more like he found me. He kinda saved me from Wolzard, and he looks like a stray…so I'm not sure why he was there or what the deal is with him."

"He's a demon hound…" Clare said. "Are you sure it's okay for us to keep him here?"

"Of course you can keep him. He's my loyal pet…he won't hurt any of you." Udonna said from the dais. The group turned to face her, and they all became stunned. Chip and Clare leaped up and ran to her.

"UDONNA!" They screamed as tears of joy began rolling down their faces. They tightly hugged Udonna, and it return she held them close.

"Clare and Charlie…I missed you two so much…I'm glad to see you both."

"I can't believe it's really you, Udonna…" Clare said, crying heavily.

"We watched you die…it's just so unbelievable..." Chip added.

"Well, believe it. I'm perfectly fine…maybe a few bumps and bruises, but I'm just fine."

Vida and Madison both walked over and joined in the group hug. "Ah, the Rocca Sisters…it's good to see you, too." Udonna smiled at Nick, and she walked over to see him, bringing the others with her.

"Can you all give me a minute with Nick…alone?" The group all nodded and walked upstairs to their rooms.

Udonna teleported over a pair of chairs for them, then helped Nick into his. Garra sat happily between them and off to the side.

"So…" Nick said, breaking the ice. "welcome back…I guess…"

"Thank you, Nick." Udonna said. "Would you like some tea?"

"No thanks." Nick replied.

"Alright." Udonna instantly conjured up a cup of tea for herself, along with a saucer. She took a sip, then began to speak. "I suppose I should begin by saying that now that I know that you are my son, that I do apologize for not being the best mother I could have been."

"No, I heard about everything that had happened from Sylvie…I mean, you did what you had to. I grew up just fine…I was pretty happy with my foster parents, and they took care of me…I was sick a lot, but I'm okay now." Nick smiled softly. "It does feel a little weird, though, that I had to be told a lot of lies about everything until recently. The way everything came out was so…abrupt."

"I'm sorry it had to be that way. I would have loved to have told you myself."

"Why didn't you tell me when we first met?"

"I wasn't sure at the time. I had that maternal feeling that you were my son, and you do look very much like your father, but I didn't truly believe that you and Sylvie had survived, let alone that you miraculously showed up at my doorstep."

Nick nodded, then looked down. "…Did you ever bother to look for us?"

"I was afraid to…I was afraid that if I tried to look for you, that I would find you and expose you. I knew that if you were alive, you were safe, and that was enough comfort for me."

Nick nodded, looking over at the fire. He blinked a few times then looked back at her. "I understand. You and dad wanted to make everything happy and shiny for us, even if you couldn't have it with us. Yeah."

"I would like to make it up to you."

"There's some things you can't make up." His eyes intensely gazed at her, blinking and glazing over softly.

" I know." Udonna replied, looking down. "Will you let me try my best, though, to make it up to you?"

"Sure." Nick replied flatly. Udonna sighed.

Upstairs, Xander sat up and yawned. He exited his room to see the rest of the group huddled around, hugging and cheering.

"What's all the excitement for?" Xander asked.

"Udonna's alive!" Chip shouted happily. Vida and Madison both hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. "Oh, and the girls are okay." He blushed and hugged them back.

Xander gave the group an awkward look. "Oh…kay…last time I take a long nap…" He walked back into his room. "Yuri…mind filling me in with what's going on…?" He closed his door.

Down in Infershia, Wolzard had taken the time to heal up and regenerate lost magic before confronting the restored Midhat in the throne room.

He didn't bother to speak, he merely drew his sword and waited for Midhat to notice him.

"Oh, there you are, Wolzard…the Master and I-"

"Silence!" Wolzard shouted, violently marching up to Midhat and pointing his sword at Midhat's throat.

"Well what do we have here, Master…?" Midhat said, brushing away Wolzard's sword with his fan. "The Madoushi is trying to intimidate me in a violent manner."

"You tried to kill my prisoner. I told you to stay away from her!"

"She was hindering the Master's rising, Wolzard. Did you not know that, or was she busy weaving lies into your easily swayed mind?"

"I am not easily swayed!" Wolzard snapped.

"Look at you…you're so easily affected by how your pathetic prisoner is…she's got you wrapped around her finger…"

"Her and I had a deal. As long as I kept her alive, she was to let me destroy her students. If she died, I had to honor her wishes and abandon my pursuit of them."

"Honor! Honor honor honor honor, that's all you ever talk about! Madoushis don't fight with honor, we fight with power! We don't respectfully kill those who oppose our Master, we slaughter them and bathe in their blood and collect their souls to revive our Master!" Midhat said, waving his fan and knocking Wolzard across the pit holding Enma with a gust of wind. "That is why we must talk. You, Wolzard, have become a horrid Madoushi."

"I do nothing but serve my master." Wolzard spat.

"No, you don't. You have yet to fully kill any of those Mahoutsukai, and you have yet to contribute to Enma's revival."

"I'm not going to waste my time on some two-bit Mahoutsukai who wasn't worth my time."

A soft pink trickle of light floated down and dropped into the pink crystal, illuminating it slightly.

"See, there are those who do their job without complaint." Midhat shot.

Wolzard sneered. "So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you're a poor excuse of a Madoushi, and that you've wasted too much of the Master's power to be of any longer use."

"…What?"

"Enma and I have come to the conclusion that the prisoner you had detained in your chambers has destroyed your sense of judgment and duty to him, and that your sense of loyalty has become so fixated upon your own morality, that you can no longer properly function as an active general in his army. In short, you're to be terminated."

"Those are lies!"

"Are you going to debate the Master's Divine Judgment?"

"You've lied to him!"

Midhat revealed the mirror in his fan to currently be fixated on Wolzard from behind. "We have watched you the entire time…every single one of your little bargains…your little stint with the Yellow Magician that set us back a great deal in our mission…we know that you are not working solely for him. Now you will pay." He pointed the tip of his fan at Wolzard. "Douza Meru Meru Mejira."

A Madou Circle opened up beneath Wolzard, keeping him from moving. He was instantly stripped of his armor, left with nothing but his hooded meditation cloak. Then, the absorption began; the Madou Circle began to spin counter-clockwise and drain the Madou energy straight out of him, leaving him in extreme pain. The energy began to collect in the black crystal, making it shine brightly. Midhat laughed softly as he watched Wolzard slowly fade and drop to the floor. "This is your own doing, Wolzard. You should have tried a bit harder."

Wolzard wrapped his arms around himself and dropped to the floor, breathing heavily. "Your torture just elates me and makes this all so much better."

"You'll regret this…" Wolzard said as he began to breathe softly.

"I doubt it. Sleep well in Oblivion." Wolzard went limp as the last bits of his Madou energy filled the crystal. "Well, that was good, was it not, Master?" Midhat laughed and several Hideacs came in to drag Wolzard's body out of the throne room.

As soon as he was sure that neither Hideacs nor Midhat were around, Wolzard opened his eyes. "I should have trusted her…I suppose that she was right…that I would pay for my stupidity…" He closed his eyes. "I…should go…" He focused on a single place in his mind, then spoke the first little spell that came to mind. "Ugh…Lujuna…" A few twinkles of light, and he was gone.


	35. Shining Bravery

"_Daddy! Daddy!" _

_Bounce, bounce._

_Barking in the background, coupled with claws scraping along the wooden floor._

_He opened his eyes, and three sets of eyes looked back. Colmillo, Garra and a little girl stared happily at him._

"_Daddy! GOOD MORNING!" The girl shouted, hugging him around the neck. _

"_Good morning." He replied with a smile, sitting up and hugging the girl at the same time._

_Colmillo and Garra sat, looking as though they were about to fight for attention. "And good morning to you too." He pat them both gently on the tops of their heads._

_He walked out, little girl in arm, and to his close left, Sungel stood in his Saint armor._

"_Good morning, daddy!" He greeted him in a childish voice before tickling the little girl._

"_Good morning, Sunshine!" The little girl said to Sungel._

"_Good morning to you too." Sungel looked up to him. "Looking forward to this morning's exercise."_

"_As am I." Garra and Colmillo clawed at Raigel's door, causing the whitish blonde grump to stick his head out and shoo them away with the feather in his pen._

"_Didn't sleep again, I take it?"_

"_Evil does not sleep, and neither shall I." Raigel replied._

"_Get some rest."_

"_Yes, sir." Raigel pulled his head back into his room, locking the door behind him._

_He walked down to the first floor, where the Magicians sat at their table, conducting a meeting._

"_GOOD MORNING, DADDY!" The Yellow, Blue, Pink, and Green Magicians said in the same tone Sungel had used._

_The Red Magician turned around. "Good morning, sir." She said sternly. _

"_Good morning, everyone. Any good news?"_

"_Well, the little town in Terra called Briarwood has managed to sniff out a spy mission set up by Infershia…it's promising." The Red Magician spoke in a clear and stern voice._

"_Good news." He smiled, then looked over to the fireplace._

"_Good morning." The red-haired woman said with a warm smile._

"_Mommy!" The little girl said, reaching out to the woman._

"_Arwen, mommy is making breakfast for everybody, and I don't want you to get hurt."_

"_Okay, Mommy." The little girl replied sadly._

_The redheaded woman kissed the little girl on the cheek, then kissed him softly on the lips. _

"_Thank goodness you got up…it's almost time for breakfast…"_

Wolzard's eyes shot open, his breath visible and hanging around like a cloud of misfortune. The snow fell lightly around him, covering him like a blanket. He had been asleep for hours, he had assessed from the height of the snow. He shivered and wished to fall back asleep; his dreams, however confusing they were, were more comforting than reality.

He waited for a moment, then got up and brushed the snow off of him. He had to find out where he was…and find some shelter.

"Now boys, as the substitute moderator of this morning's training, I warn you that I attended every one of Bragel's dueling classes, and Master Sorin follows the exact lessons, so if either of you try to do something out of jurisdiction, I will mark it off." Kiran waved his little clipboard and quill around, in case Nick and Chip hadn't already seen them.

Nick and Chip stood facing each other in the matching armor Sorin had given them. They both wore plain brown capes instead of gold ones; Nick had borrowed one of Chip's for the occasion, and both wore heavy wool clothes underneath to keep from freezing to death outside. Kiran stood outside in his normal attire; his fur was thick enough to be all he needed.

Nick's ankle was still injured, but it had been healed enough for him to walk with splints in his boot to support his movement.

"Now, since this is the first lesson of your training, we will begin with an assessment of your current skills. Since both of you are at different levels of training, I would like to give Master Sorin some idea of where you two need to be trained."

"How shall we demonstrate our skills?" Chip asked.

"You shall have a quick spar for five minutes, and I shall grade you accordingly."

"Fine." Chip pulled out his sword that was sheathed at his side.

"Mr. Thorn, haste makes waste. Please sheath your sword." Kiran said, putting on a tiny pair of reading glasses and making a few scribbly marks on the clipboard.

"But aren't we going to fight?" Chip replied, resheathing his sword.

"One of the first rules about these lessons is that you do not prepare for battle until the teacher gives the signal to unsheathe your sword." Kiran said, removing the glasses and putting the pen back at the top of the clipboard. "Now, unsheathe your swords."

Chip sighed deeply and did so, while Nick made no such noise.

Nick took a standing pose, trying to ease off his right ankle as much as he could, and Chip took a crouched position, preparing for a quick leap. "Mr. Thorn, may I ask what that position is for?" Kiran asked, taking out his pen and reading glasses once more.

"For the first move I wish to make." Chip replied, looking over and looking rather annoyed.

"Your first move is predictable. You should take a position similar to what Mr. Russell has done."

"But you can only either take two possible moves from that position; I can take about four or five in my own."

"Oh really? Would you like to demonstrate them to me and your fellow student?"

"If it'll keep you from trying to mark me off for doing something off-color, fine."

"Please begin, then." Kiran said in a flat tone as he scribbled a bit more on the clipboard.

"Ready, Nick?"

"Go easy…my ankle isn't super stable."

"My arms feel like thin plates of rubber, so I don't think I'd be capable of doing much damage." Chip grinned.

Kiran coughed, catching their attention. "Begin." Kiran said, taking a step back.

Chip started off the fight with his little tornado spin which forced Nick to block. Chip had pushed off on his left and landed on his right, then continuing on his spin and slamming his sword against Nick's and breaking his defense. Nick took a few staggered steps back and prepared his own attack.

He couldn't jump off his right leg, as he normally did, so he attempted to leap off his left leg. He didn't jump as high as he wanted, to, but it had given him enough height to come down on Chip with the pommel of his sword. Chip blocked the move by running his sword upwards and letting it slide against the pommel as he stepped back.

Nick anticipated to move, and began bringing the rest of his sword down on Chip, striking the midpoint of his shoulder. Chip replied with a quick jab to the stomach, which wasn't armored.

"Hm…" Kiran said, scribbling. "Three minutes, you two."

Neither of them heard him as they continued on.

Nick kicked him in the chest to distance them, and Chip replied by preparing a block. Neither of them moved for a moment; they were both hoping the other would make the next move.

They didn't move. They didn't twitch. They didn't even blink. Kiran looked between them, seeing only two men who were trying to decide their fates. He knew the outcome of the staredown; men of action stay in action. He made a note and waited for one of them to move. He looked at his pocketwatch; they had a minute left.

He blinked, and Chip had already dashed across the field at Nick, his sword held backwards, the pommel facing outwards.

He spun counterclockwise on his right foot, holding his sword arm slightly bent and pointing the blade outwards, aiming for Nick's left leg. Nick saw the move and jumped back, and as soon as Chip's left arm was closer to him, he grabbed it.

Chip stopped and winced as Nick's amulet began to heat up underneath the armor. He struggled to get away, and Nick let go, unsure of what was going on. Chip tossed his sword as he stepped away and faced Nick, crouched over and clutching where Nick had grabbed him.

"What are you, mad?" Chip asked. "Were you trying to set me on fire?"

"I didn't do anything. My amulet…it reacted…"

Kiran looked up. "Hm? Your amulet?" He looked over to Chip. "What did you do to make it react?"

"You watched the fight! I didn't do anything!" Chip replied, slowly standing up.

"You've used dark magic, haven't you?"

Chip grabbed his sword. "I've used spells that people try to avoid using, if that's what you're asking."

"There's a reason why it's considered dark magic, Mr. Thorn."

"It's not dark magic if you're not using it to hurt people."

Nick stared at Chip. It seemed almost incomprehensible that Chip would use dark magic…but then again, he had been carrying around an awkward and possibly evil book of sorts around, making little notes in it every once in a while.

"The last person to speak like that was Raigel, and you see how he turned out."

"I'm not a Madoushi, if that's what you're trying to insinuate." Chip stood up, looking incredibly insulted. "Madoushi are greedy, power-hungry, narcissistic pansies who couldn't stand on their own two feet if they hadn't sold their souls to Enma. I only ever use magic to prevent people from the horrors I went through. So what if I'm unorthodox, I don't need to have you chew me out for it!" Chip scowled. "What would you know, anyways? You're nothing but a servant."

Chip turned around and walked back to Rootcore.

"Don't take it personally." Nick said, placing his hand on Kiran's shoulder. "He's been through hell, literally. I used to know people like him…vigilantes. The lines of good and evil are really blurred...he just wants everything to be okay, even if he's gotta get his hands dirty to do it."

"Reminds me of Fintan…" Kiran said, looking down. "Though he didn't need to insult me…"

"He's had a rough few days."

Chip walked into Rootcore and bolted upstairs without saying a word to those watching on.

Phineas hummed to himself as he walked through the forest outside a small hut of houses in Mysteria. The weather was just right for fishing; the fish at the falls would be leaping joyously, and he could trade the little ones off in the next collection of cabins for some new clothes.

He wandered down an alternate path to the small waterfall, and in the distance, he spotted a figure lying in the snow beside the river. "Well, well, looks like somebody's lost their fishing pole…" He said, cautiously walking over.

He bent down next to the sprawled out figure and touched its shoulder lightly, getting no response. "Heh, must be a heavy sleeper." He said to himself. He then poked the cloaked figure in the shoulder. "Hey there…wake up…"

The figure groaned and moved a bit, startling Phineas. "Hey there, you okay…?"

"Udonna…" He muttered weakly.

"Huh? Are you looking for the White Sorceress? If ya are, well, you've got a long way to go…"

"Where…am I…?"

"You're in central Mysteria, there, Mr. Mystery Guy."

He sat up, and by his deadened gaze, Phineas knew exactly who he was working with. He panicked a bit. "Ah! Don't kill me!" He said, flinching.

Wolzard laughed weakly. "Don't worry, troblin, I couldn't kill you if I wanted to." He sighed heavily. "Can you do something for me?"

"Anything."

"I need you to…ugh…" He sighed deeply as his stomach rumbled.

"Hey, you okay, there, Mr. Wolzard? Need some food?"

"Sustenance…would be much obliged…"

Phineas began to dig into his sidebag. "Let's see, I got a few stickleberries, a couple pieces of snow rabbit jerky left in here…I think that's a jar of pickled pumpkin slices, or a jar of liquid snake…"

"I'll take the jerky." Wolzard said in an awkward tone. Phineas handed him the hunks of jerky, and bit a piece off. "Hm…better than I remember."

"So uh…what is it that you want me to do…?" Phineas asked cautiously.

"I want you…to deliver a message…to Udonna…"

"Why don't I just drag ya to Rootcore?"

"No…no…I have to lay low. They won't be looking for you…I'm not going to put you in danger."

"Alright, fine. What's your message?"

"Tell her I-"

_A woman screaming, buildings on fire, Hideacs darting between them…_

Wolzard held his head and grimaced. "Tell her that she was right, and tell her where she can find me."

"I'll get right on it."

"Wait!" Wolzard said as Phineas got up. Phineas looked at him. "Tell her I'd like to see her son instead of her. Preferably."

"Got it." Phineas got up and dashed in the direction of Rootcore, and Wolzard did little more than pass back out.

Chip stood outside Madison's door, thinking about what had transpired outside. Madison would have said something if she thought he was wrong, right? He turned to face Vida's door. She definitely would've spoken up if she thought things were out of line.

Kiran had no reason to be rude and disrespectful to him, no reason to question him. He wasn't a Madoushi…besides, he was taught that everything is fair in love and war…and if he wasn't in a war involving love interests, he would've been strict and rigid. He would've been the one scolding those around him if even the slightest touch of dark magic was being used.

Kiran just cannot comprehend the value of my friends that I have, Chip told himself. He then walked softly into his room and removed his armor before going back to bed. He didn't want to be up at this time of day, anyways.

"What do you mean, he's 'gone'?!" Midhat shouted, jumping up from his throne.

"Master Midhat, my men disposed of the body, and not even three minutes afterwards, when they went to show me where they placed it, the body had vanished!" The Hideac general quickly spat out.

"And how did you come to the conclusion that it had just disappeared, and not that your men are just idiots?"

"I studied the area perfectly, just to make sure, Master Midhat. They had dragged him into a somewhat sandy area, and I first looked to see if maybe another team had dragged the corpse off to feed another battalion…only it didn't look like anybody had disturbed the area. His body just…vanished without moving."

"Take me to this place. I shall be the judge of this 'sudden disappearance' ordeal." Midhat said, waving his fan.

"As you wish, Master Midhat."

As they arrived, Midhat froze. There was a resonance of an energy he thought had long since ceased to be…

"Master Midhat…?"

"He's alive…" Midhat whispered in a frightened tone. He then straightened out and looked at the Hideac general. "I want you to find his body. If it's dead, then dispose of it properly. If it's not, then kill him."

"Do you have a particular place we should begin in?"

"I have a feeling you'll find him somewhere in the center of Mysteria, in the wooded areas. It's wide and vast…if anybody wanted to hide his body, it's be there."

So I should send a few battalions out into the center of Mysteria?"

"Have them spread out as far as they can, cover as much area as they can."

"Yes, Master Midhat." He then began to walk away.

"Oh, and can you send a group out to do a bit of raiding to distract those meddlesome Mahoutsukai? We don't need them…sniffing around out there."

"I shall do that as well, Master Midhat."

"Excellent." The Hideac general sprinted for the Spawning Grounds, leaving Midhat alone.

Midhat shivered from the energies surrounding him in the room. "I know not why or how Enma did not destroy you all those years ago…but I will find you, and I will finish my Master's work…" He flipped his fan over to watch Wolzard. "I will destroy the one you saved…and then destroy your little student…I'll draw you out any way I can…I will destroy you, and you'll become one with my Master as you should have all those years ago…I'll make sure of it!" He waved his fan and walked back to the throne room.

Udonna sat at her dais, reading through the Xenotome and feeling generally impressed with the things the Magicians had managed to unlock. She hadn't seen many of the spells since the Marauders had been in Rootcore.

Nick and Kiran marched inside, shivering from the cold.

"I thought Charlie was with you two."

Kiran growled a bit. "He doesn't care for training."

"Why was he upset when he came in?" Clare asked from her place at the stove.

"We had a quarrel." Kiran said bitterly, crossing his arms.

"From the sounds of it, you hit a nerve." A voice called up from the top of the stairs.

"Master! You should be in bed!" Kiran shouted.

Sorin smiled weakly, although not a soul in the room could tell through the bandages he was covered from head to toe in. He had thrown on a navy blue leather tunic and a pair of gold dyed cotton slacks to try and keep himself appropriate for visitation. "I'm getting stiff from lying in bed. Besides, you and Charlie woke me up with your shouting. I'm too light a sleeper and a bit too nosy to keep away from a shouting match like that. Ah, it's my vice, I suppose." He coughed. "Anyways…"

"What was said between you two?" Udonna asked Kiran.

"The Lightfire Amulet hurt him, Udonna…I was merely wanting to know what he had done to set it off."

"The Amulet burned him?" Udonna queried in a worried tone.

"I fear the worst…" Kiran said, biting his lip.

"He's not a Madoushi, if that's what you fear." Sorin said. "I'd never accept a Madoushi to be my squire, that's for sure."

"What about that book? He carries it around religiously…I doubt that he hasn't used some spell or whatever in it before…"

"He's not Raigel, Kiran, he's much like Bragel." The entire room turned to look at him. "He may have been my teacher, my master, my mentor, and my closest friend, but I did not agree with all of his methods."

"Bragel used dark magic?" Udonna asked, a worried tone in her voice.

"He studied it. He wanted to know it all…granted, he wished to find spells, counterspells, antidotes, loopholes, and just about everything else to destroy or counteract every single little Madou trick they had. Him and Raigel spent countless hours seeking out every new little spell the Madoushis cooked up to throw at them…that book had become an obsession to them both…obviously while Bragel's intentions were purely honest, like those of Charlie's…Raigel's were purely selfish. I should have known, the way I felt about him…but he hid himself so well…his light element bent our perceptions like a stick in a glass of water, I guess…" Sorin chuckled. He heard a door shut, and he looked up; he was unsure which door had actually shut.

"Well, Charlie seemed angered that I caught him. I'm worried that he's doing the same as Raigel…pretending to be with us when he's really against us."

"Stop, Kiran." Clare said, setting her ladle in the soup kettle. Kiran looked over at her in surprise. "Charlie isn't selfish at all! He wouldn't sell us out to Enma, not after what Icaryia did to him. You saw how much that hurt him…I doubt he'd be inclined to pass that down to anybody else." She began to stir again, looking down. "Besides, why would he have been so desperate to save Madison and Vida if he was out to betray us?"

"To save face for being caught by you, perhaps?"

"Enough!" Sorin shouted, hurting himself slightly by doing so. "I heard what you said to him, Kiran, and I've tried to nicely say that you were wrong to say that what he's done is wrong…he's suffered enough at the hands of Infershia, he doesn't need us peeling away at him as well." Sorin walked downstairs slowly.

"Aren't you even aware of his actions and the consequences?"

"Yes, I am, but in him I see hope. He's selfless, Kiran. He's given up a great deal to protect the rest of us. I can only imagine what caused him to get tied up in Chronojiel's business, but whatever he did was obviously to save us. Nobody selfish tries to tangle with the Arch-Saint of Time, hoping to come out of it with some sort of reward. Nobody selfish would willingly travel into Infershia to save one person from their demise. Nobody selfish would dare accept my rigid training because I'm sure he knows that I'm stricter than Bragel was, that I don't tolerate Madoushi or offer my training to just any Magician. Just leave him alone, Kiran, and let him have a little peace."

There was a banging on the front door of Rootcore, and Kiran sighed. "I'll get it…"

Kiran opened the door to find a worn out and heavily breathing Phineas at the door. Kiran panicked.

"Hey…I…have…a message…for Udonna…from…somebody…" Phineas said between breaths.

"Let him in!" Clare shouted once she saw who it was.

"Ah! Clare!" He shouted, walking over and hugging her uncomfortably tightly.

"Hi…Phineas…" Clare replied, a bit perturbed at his reaction to her. "What…brings you…to Rootcore?"

"Well, I'm here to deliver a message to the Great Sorceress Udonna, and everybody knows that she lives in the giant oak tree in the forest, so I thought I'd give it a try and look for her here. Looks like I was right." He smiled, finally letting go of Clare.

"What is your message?" Udonna asked, standing up.

"My message is from…you know…the big scary armored guy, only, he's not so big and scary, or armored for that matter."

"What did he ask you to tell me?" Udonna said, walking down to Phineas as she wrung her hands together in a worried manner.

"He asked me to tell you that you were right about what you said, and that he's in a place where you will find him…not quite sure what all of that means, but I figure that you will."

"I shall go then." Udonna said. Clare sighed and handed her the Snow Staff. Udonna looked down and it and smiled. "Dear Clare, I can't take this away from you now…not after all you've done. Keep it."

"You…you mean it, Udonna?" Clare teared up lightly.

"Of course." Udonna smiled. "Besides, I have a spare wand…a Sorceress never goes anywhere without either a spare wand stick or an elemental crystal." Udonna held up a small wand with the crystal she had smuggled into Infershia with her attached at the end.

"Um, well, there's a second part to his message, too, that you should hear…"

"What else is there?"

"That he wanted your son to come and get him instead of you."

Udonna looked over at Nick, who then gave her an odd look before giving Phineas an equally odd look. "Why does he want me to come get him?"

"I didn't ask, but he said a lot about him being in danger and not wanting to put people in it…I think he's just worried that Udonna might be hurt if she tries to go out there. I mean, between you and the Thorn kid, you two have disappeared and reappeared more times than the Saints themselves."

"So why can't she just come with me?" Nick asked.

"Hey, don't get all grumpy with me, I'm just the messenger. He asked for you to go get him, and that's what I'm telling ya."

Nick sighed. "Well…will everybody just fill me in with what's going on?" Nick asked.

"I'll give you a short story, because there's no time to waste." Udonna said, sighing heavily. "I had several visions down in Infershia…one of them being that Enma would forsake Wolzard and leave him for dead…Wolzard refused to heed my warning, and it's now apparent that I was right. If that is true, then he is nearly as vulnerable as a Faithless now. I opened my home to him if this should've happened, and he refused them. It also seems that he's come to his senses on this as well, and, as a woman of my word, I can't just close my doors on him in his time of need."

"So you want me to just go out and drag one of our worst enemies into your house?" Nick asked, glaring at her.

"One good turn deserves another, Conall-"

"Nick!" He shouted, becoming noticeably irritated.

Udonna sighed. "…Nick…he is a helpless, honor-bound person in need of our protection. He knows much about Infershia…if we help him now, he's likely to return it by helping us later…he might even give us important information…"

"How can you say this about him?" Nick shouted, swinging his arm in anger. "How can you open your home to this…this…this monster? He killed your husband, and you're fine with that? You're fine with letting him in here and being nice to him like it never happened? You can be as nice and kindly as you want to him, but I'm not going to pretend he didn't kill my father, and I'm not going to pretend to be nice to him because they wanna kill him! In fact, I hope they fucking kill him! He deserves it for all the pain and suffering he's caused that you seem to be able to wish away!"

"Don't you think it still hurts me, Nick? Don't you think that I wish the same sorts of things? I don't want to save him, but I'm keeping my word. He's asking for my help…your father would've done the same for anybody who asked him for help!"

"Then he was stupid!" The room fell silent, and Nick continued on. "There's a difference between extending your hand to help a friend, and extending your hand to somebody who's been trying to cut your whole damn arm off! You don't help people who don't deserve it! He deserves to be abandoned and left for dead if he didn't listen to you!"

"Nick, for the love of Majiel, shut the hell up!" Sorin shouted, stopping the shouting, and causing everybody to look up at him. "How…how dare you say what you've said! Your father would be ashamed to say you were his son!" Sorin took a few deep breaths, trying to recover from his shouting. He collected himself and continued. "Bragel believed that everyone deserves a second chance; that everybody makes mistakes and that they need help sometimes. They do things they know to be wrong, and they can't escape those mistakes." He shot a quick glance at Kiran, than focused back on Nick. "Wolzard is a Madoushi; he fell onto hard times and made a wrong turn, but he's still human like most of us here. He deserves another chance, Nick. If you were in his shoes, and Wolzard refused to help you because you were his enemy, wouldn't you think that was wrong?"

Nick looked down, thinking of a response. Before he could go on, the crystal ball turned pitch black. A shuffling occurred upstairs, and down ran a disgruntled team of Vida, Madison, and Xander. Vida seemed shocked to see Sorin in his condition, as it was apparent from her staring. Clare and Udonna looked into the ball and seemed a bit disturbed.

"Wha…what is it…?" Xander asked, yawning and stretching.

"It…seems like it's bad." Clare said.

"Very bad, indeed." Udonna replied. "It looks like there's a massive swarm of Hideacs showing up in several different places."

"That's bad…" Xander replied tiredly. "Well, here's to an early morning workout…" He summoned his wand and waited to be told where to go.

"I'll go to the nearest flare up…" Nick began to leave, but Sorin grabbed his collar with amazing speed for his condition.

Sorin huffed a bit and clenched down on Nick's collar. "No, you're going with Phineas to do what was asked of you."

"Like hell I am!" Nick replied. Sorin grimaced and let go of Nick's collar, then suddenly backhanded Nick upside the head and knocked him to the ground.

"You're going to go, whether you like it or not!" Sorin said. "Even if I have to drag you out in my condition, you'll do it!"

"Fine, fine…" Nick said, standing up and sending his armor upstairs to his room. "C'mon…um…whatever your name is."

"Name's Phineas. Pleasure to be helping ya out." Phineas said, extending his hand for a shake as he and Nick walked towards the broom bay.

"Whatever." Nick coldly replied, not replying back to the handshake.

They entered the broom bay and Phineas looked impressed. "Wow, there's six of 'em!"

"Yeah, let's get going." Nick replied coldly.

They left before Vida, Madison, Xander, and Clare could even make it to the broom bay. As they flew away from Rootcore, Phineas turned around. "Hey Nick…something's following us…"

Nick stopped and looked back; Garra was chasing them, barking for attention. Nick descended and waited for Garra to catch up, which wasn't long once Garra noticed that Nick had stopped.

"What is it, Garra?" Nick asked, petting the heavily panting demon. Garra looked over at Phineas and barked.

"Ah…good…demon…doggy thing…" Phineas said nervously, pulling away slowly.

"Don't worry…he's fine."

Garra began sniffing Phineas, stopping for a moment at his hands. He then barked and panted.

"What is it, Garra? Do you have daddy's scent? Hm?" Nick asked, running his hand over Garra's mane and talking to him in a tone one normally used on infants. Garra barked back twice, then sat down and whimpered. "Do you wanna help us find him?"

"Wolzard's his…daddy?" Phineas asked, slightly confused. "I know he's a Madoushi and all, but…"

"No, not like that. He used to belong to Wolzard. He followed Udonna back, I guess. Not sure why." Nick replied curtly. "Well, if he can pick up Wolzard's scent, I think it's best that we let him come along."

"How's he gonna fit on the broom?"

"We'll fly there, and if he catches Wolzard's scent, he'll just replot the course for us."

"Sounds fine to me." Phineas replied. "Just glad I don't have to run back to Mysteria."

The trio then continued the trip to find Wolzard.

A few minutes later, Madison, Vida, Xander, and Clare had set off, leaving Sorin and Udonna downstairs alone, with Tsubasa lightly snoring in his corner of the room.

Udonna and Sorin sat at the round table; Udonna taking Nick's chair and Sorin taking Chip's. Kiran had went back into his lamp upstairs, sulking, and Sorin wished he hadn't, since his input would've helped the conversation.

"…I want you to tell me everything. I want you to tell me about that book." Udonna said. "I want to know…he never told me…"

Sorin sighed. "I wasn't supposed to know about it, but Raigel was never one for subtlety." Sorin smiled weakly, then continued. "They were compiling a book of Madou paraphernalia as a research project. They wanted to know everything they could about how the Madoushi operated…they wanted to know every spell, every curse, every poison, every everything."

"Did he…ever use any of them?" Udonna asked.

"I saw them once trying to see the effects of a particular spell, but it proved to be a harmless little thing…" Udonna sighed and looked down. "Udonna…he didn't use it on anybody, if you're worried about that. He never used it in combat, ever. He knew what it did to anybody who used it. He wanted something to have in hand to protect people from Madoushi…to help them if anything should happen to them. For us. A panacea of sorts, I suppose. Unfortunately, doing those sorts of things sticks to you…the Amulet weakened him for his efforts…the darkness was a stain that lasted for a long time…I'd hate to think that it was his downfall…"

"Please…don't even come to the conclusion that it may have been…" Udonna covered her face entirely with her hands.

"So…you think poor Charlie…"

"He has the book now…and I have been watching him since I saw him with it…but I see within him the passion Bragel had…I do not think he shall become like Raigel…his desire to protect others is so much vaster than his desire to make himself happy…it is disheartening to see him with it, it is…but I personally think that he wishes no harm to come from it. He's even added a few little notes and passages to it, too. He's more curious than anything."

"I promised his mother that I would protect him from things like this if anything was to happen to her…"

"Charlie's fine. He does things a bit unorthodoxly, but I've never seen him put others besides himself into any sort of harm. He takes risks, and he prepares for the worst. He's very much like Bragel-"

"I don't want to lose him like Bragel too!" Udonna cried. "He and Clare may not be blood, but they are my children as far as I am concerned, and seeing them in pain hurts me."

"I understand…Charlie and Clare are both very brave children, and we need their courage to see them through the hard times that are to come." Sorin sighed. "If Enma is to be revived as Midhat hopes to accomplish…they will be the ones to stand up to him…they will need to be brave…"

"We will see to it that he doesn't come back."

"We will…" Sorin stood up and hugged Udonna warmly. "We will…"

Xander, Clare, Madison, and Vida dashed around the skies, viciously trying to locate the Hideacs they were chasing.

"Split up." Clare said. "We'll find them faster."

"Good idea." Vida replied. "We should keep an open line between our wands, in case one of us spots them."

"Great idea, Vida." The four of them waved their wands, making the crystals glow. They then placed their crystals together, establishing the open link. "Alright, let's get going. The wind chill, even for me, is freezing." They then flew off in opposing directions, giggling a bit at Clare's joke.

After nearly two hours of flying at top speed, Nick and Phineas spotted the place where Wolzard was last seen. They dropped down, and Garra began whimpering.

"Where is he?" Nick asked. Garra began sniffing at the snow that had recently fallen.

"He was lying against that tree when I left…" Phineas said.

Garra began howling, getting Nick's attention. "What do you want?" Nick growled. Garra barked at him and ran around in a circle. "We don't have time for games!" Nick shouted.

"Uh, I'm not an expert at dogs, demon or otherwise, but I'm pretty sure that he may have found something."

Nick stood up and huffed. "Fine…" He walked over to Garra. "What did you find?"

Garra sniffed the snow and dug a bit, revealing something black and red. Nick picked it up; it was a shred of Wolzard's meditation cloak, spattered with blood. "I think he's in trouble."

"Well, you'd better hurry."

"Good point. You stay here in case he comes back. Garra and I will follow whatever trail we can find."

"Fine with me…I'm starved and the fish're coming up in droves here…" Phineas began looking about for his fishing rod. "Good luck!"

"Thanks." Nick replied in monotone before climbing on Garra's back and letting the demon hound bound off in the trail's direction.

Back at Rootcore, the crystal ball turned black, and Midhat's visage showed up. He searched the room until he saw someone. "Hey! You!" The figure turned around.

"What do you want?"

"Where is Sungel?"

"He is busy. Do you want me to leave him a message?"

"Tell him that I wish to continue our…little meeting from the other day."

"I shall let him know. Have a place in mind?"

"In the valley down near the lake in Mysteria…he'll know where I mean…" Midhat grinned.

"I shall let him know." Midhat's visage disappeared, and the crystal ball went back to being clear.

"I'll go." He said, getting up from his chair.

"No, I'll go." The other voice rang out from the couch in front of the fire.

"I can handle it."

"Are you sure?"

"You won't know I'm gone." He grabbed the rolled up carpet next to the staircase. "Can we talk when I get back?"

"If you're alive."

"I promise you…I'll be fine." He grabbed his sword and smiled.

Wolzard ran through the forest, Hideacs not far behind. The wound in his arm stung, and his respiratory system cried in pain, but he kept running. The tree branches ripped away at his cloak as he dashed past, drawing blood when they could. He ran as fast as his body could take him towards a clearing. The falling snow made the stinging worse, and he feared that he wouldn't make it.

The clearing was like heaven to him, the snow falling lightly and the powder crunching beneath his feet cheerily as he arrived. He ran to the center and took a breather, then turned around.

"If…you're going…to try and take me…I'd like to…see you try…" He taunted them as they arrived.

A single Hideac made it out of the forest first, axe raised in defiance. He shrieked and swung at the stoic Wolzard, but it proved to be a horrid mistake.

Wolzard sidestepped and grabbed the axe's top handle, then kicked the Hideac's leg out from under it, making it kneel. He then forced the axe into the Hideac's stomach, breaking its arm and slicing it open, letting its entrails pour out. He then pulled the axe from the Hideac's grasp, and as the Hideac hung its head in pain and clinged to its wound, Wolzard lobbed its head clean off its shoulders.

"Well, at least you tried." Wolzard smiled.

Several more Hideacs erupted from different sections of the forest, and Wolzard grasped the axe tightly by its main handle. The first Hideac to approach him got the axe slid into its stomach and pulled upwards, nearly cutting it entirely in half. The next two approached him from behind while he was distracted with the first, and while the first one yanked at his cloak, the second one swung at his arm. He managed to move his arm at the last second, taking only a deep wound to his bicep instead of losing the arm entirely. He winced and tossed his elbow back, smashing the Hideac in the face, and he pulled himself out of the cloak, causing the other Hideac to fall backwards. He then turned around and stabbed the Hideac in the chest as he prepared for the next Hideacs to come up to him.

Four of the tried to box him in and cut him in half horizontally, but he curled up into a ball at the last second, causing the quartet to manage to drive their blades into each other and knock each other down.

"This is almost work." He joked.

Then a small swarm from everywhere leaped out in surprise, attacking him from all angles. A Hideac jump kicked him from behind, thrusting him into a group of Hideacs who caught him and tossed him about, hacking away at him. Wolzard managed to block some of the more critical blows, but they managed to hack away at him. Once they decided to finish him off, they knocked him to the ground, where the Hideac who drop kicked him prepared to finish him off. Several Hideacs moved in and pinned him to the ground as the executioner prepared to drop his blade down on Wolzard's neck.

"Any last words, traitor?" The Hideac asked as he began adjusting his swing. Wolzard closed his eyes and prepared for the end.

"Maaji Maji Majiiro!" A voice called out from the trees. Wolzard opened his eyes and looked over in curiosity, just as the Hideacs were. Garra and Nick leaped out from the trees, transforming in mid-air. Garra gained red-tinted armored plates on its limbs and paws, a neck guard made of red hued steel, a reddish chest plate with a fitted saddle, and a red steel faceplate with reddish plumage flowing backwards. They landed and began tearing through Hideacs; Nick with his sword, and Garra with its long armored claws. The Hideacs let go of Wolzard and charged at Nick, but for them, they were better off staying near Wolzard.

Some picked him up and carried him off, but Garra caught up to them and tore their legs off before Nick hacked them to pieces.

Wolzard got up slowly and dusted himself off, then winced from the stinging pain of the snow. "Thank you, Red Magician." He said softly. "I was sure that, by now, you weren't going to come."

"Well, it's not like I wanted to." Nick replied.

Wolzard turned around and softly smiled. "I'm guessing that Udonna forced you to. She is very strong-willed."

Nick took off his helmet and looked Wolzard over. The worn out knight's clothes were blood-stained with various kinds of blood, both his and the Hideacs, but he could tell that his long quilted and insulated leather tunic was an aubergine-violet sort of shade with gold and red stitching, his wool undershirt was black, and his long and baggy pants were also black. His skin was a paled out copper tone and his eyes seemed glazed over and cold, and his long black hair was pulled back and tied in a short black string. He looked to be quite a bit older than Sorin by the scattered and thin grey streaks. "I expected you to look much more intimidating than you are."

"I'm tired, cold, hungry, and wounded. I'd be more intimidating otherwise." Wolzard replied. He then bent down and patted Garra. "I see my good little girl here has a new friend…"

"Garra led me here, so you should be thankful to have something so loyal to you." Nick replied in a vicious tone.

Wolzard looked up and stared at Nick, who looked back down at him. "I'm sorry I inconvenienced you, Red Magician. You obviously don't want to be here."

"I'm only here because Udonna's merciful." He replied venomously. "I don't understand why she's doing so, but she's my mother…" He huffed. "It's her house. If she wants to let somebody like you in it, I really have no say."

"I see." Wolzard said, standing up.

"Why did you want my help instead of hers, anyways?"

Wolzard sighed. "I didn't want her to be hurt, to start. She may still have her magic, but she lost a lot of it because of our fight…" He nodded. "and secondly…because I need your assistance."

"Why do you care about her so much? You killed her husband!"

"Because even though our deal is off, I cannot reasonably let harm come to her in her weakened state…even though I myself cannot protect her from those who wish to destroy her."

"…What deal?" Nick asked.

"…She didn't speak of it…?" Wolzard smiled. "I'll give you a minute to collect yourself."

"Oh, this aughta be interesting…" Nick replied.

While Wolzard had been chased into the clearing in central Mysteria, Midhat had been waiting for Sorin to arrive at the edge of the lake. He didn't have to wait long; Sorin rode in on his magic carpet wearing his Solar Knight armor. "Oh, you wizened up and got a new suit, I see?" Midhat commented. Sorin laughed softly and got off the carpet, which flew off a distance to avoid being hit during the fight.

Sorin lightly knocked his cape back, letting it reflect a bit of light from the sun off of it, then grabbed the hilt of his sword. "I see you want your death to be quick…" Midhat replied. Sorin stood silently. "No words are needed, I see."

Midhat converted his fan into a staff and charged at Sorin. Sorin unlatched his sheath from his side and held it at eye level to Midhat, then unsheathed it slightly, reflecting the sun's light into Midhat's eyes and temporarily blinding him. The move gave Sorin enough time to charge Midhat and drop kick him. The move caused Midhat to drop his fan staff and roll around on the ground. "What a cheap shot. Douza Mezaara." His fan emitted several bolts of dark lightning towards Sorin, and although he managed to dodge most of them, the last of the bolts knocked him back. He got back up and brushed himself off.

"Ready for more?" Sorin merely nodded. "As I thought." Midhat summoned his staff back to his hand.

Meanwhile, back at Rootcore, Xander, Clare, Madison, and Vida arrived back with disheartened looks on their faces.

"I can't believe they disappeared after such a long time..." Xander griped. "If they wanted to just play Hide and Seek, they could've just done it in the forest…"

"They disappeared?" Udonna asked.

"Yeah, just vanished into Madou Circles. They just ran around and did nothing!" Clare replied, throwing her arms up in anger.

Xander's face lit up, as if the little lightbulb went off inside. "Maybe they didn't want us to fight them…" Xander looked up to Udonna. "Did anything happen here?"

"No. In fact, it's been mostly quiet here. I was upstairs reading until I heard your brooms."

"Hm…something's going on…" Vida said. "Maybe they didn't want us to all go out looking for Wolzard."

"Or maybe they wanted to wear us out a bit…" Madison replied. Clare grabbed her dust broom and began sweeping the floors tiredly to start her morning chores.

"Who knows? Infershia's never been predictable…" A voice spoke up from the couch in front of the fireplace.

"But still…" Xander sat down at his chair at the table. He then noticed a black book sitting on the table. "Hey, isn't that-"

The crystal ball turned black, causing everyone to look at it. A transmission came in staticy, like one from a far off station feeding to Nick's television. It finally focused on the image of Midhat's face. Off to the side, one could tell that Sorin was being choked tightly. He made noises of struggling as Midhat laughed. "Oh good, you're all there…"

"Sorin!" Vida shouted. "That son of a bitch!" Vida lunged at the screen, but Madison held her back.

"Oh, Pink Magician, your caring demeanor makes this so much sweeter…" Midhat laughed. "I just thought you could all day your goodbyes to your beloved Solar Knight before I killed him off." He then looked over at Sorin. "Have any last words to say? Any little spells to try and save your pitiful life with?" Sorin stopped kicking and shook his head no. "So silent…as if prepared to die…" He then pointed the mirror outwards, towards the field in front of him. "I was thinking of dumping him in the lake and electrocuting him to death, but…not dramatic enough." He tossed Sorin out into the field. "Mezaara Zazaado!"

From beneath Sorin before he fell, a Madou Circle opened up beneath him and began to swirl, kicking up snow. Sorin screamed something inaudible as everything turned white from an explosion.

"No!" The voice shouted from the back, sitting up. Vida looked up and saw Sorin sitting up, his face contorting into a look of horror.

"…Sorin…? Then…who…?"

A shattered yellow hunk of metal flew at the fan, partially shattering the mirror and causing the image to distort slightly. Suddenly, a flash of auburn and peach resting atop a mountain of gold, yellow, black, and brown shot out towards the mirror, knocking it over and onto the ground.

"Vanity and pride, they both are sins, and they both aim to do their pretty victims in." Chip said, pointing Sorin's sword at Midhat's throat.

"Well, amen to that." Xander replied.

"Charlie!" Udonna shouted, catching his attention.

"Sorry kids, this's a two-man show…" Chip said softly, smiling. "It'll be over soon." He then crushed the mirror entirely under the heel of his boot, ending the transmission.

"Charlie!" Udonna shouted. She then looked at Sorin. "What have you done?"

"He told me that he would be fine, and he pretty much proved it right there!" Sorin replied.

"Midhat's gonna kill him!" Madison shouted, grabbing her cloak.

"Madison, don't!" Sorin shouted. "He'll be fine…Charlie's a fine swordsman, and a damn good fighter. I wasn't sure if he would be alright, but he managed to dodge Midhat's killing move and counter it. I trust that he'll come back alive."

"Yeah, ladies, you're all so…emotional. Take a seat. Nick and Chip will be back momentarily."

Madison slapped Xander and walked upstairs. "…What?"

"You are quite the escape artist, Mahoutsukai." Midhat said to Chip with a smile. "Tell me…I really must know how you survived. Nobody has ever survived that before…you must explain it all to me…when I kill you, I want an epic novel to write about you."

"Reflection." Chip replied. "I bounced the dark energy back on itself with my sword. It shattered the circle, stopping the energy."

"How did you fool me?"

"Same as you did many years ago…my inner light reflected my true self…but more in a literal sense than in your case."

"Bending light energy through magic like water in a glass…very impressive…" Chip let Midhat up. "I must say, you're squandering your exceptional talents on your useless cause."

"I wouldn't call caring for the lives of others useless." Chip replied, taking a few steps back.

"Everyone brings you down, boy…I've seen you with my old hobby…you love it as much as I do. You obsess over their pages, you write in your own little pieces…why do you waste such potential on being a hero? You could be a Saint…you could be better than a Saint!"

"I don't want power like you. Besides, Madoushi are selfish; they care only about themselves, and to hell with everyone else! I would never let myself be like…her." Chip's face contorted in a mix of pain and anger. "Being a Madoushi makes you destroy everything you love and care for…and even though I have little…there isn't enough power in the world to ever make me reconsider having it."

"With power, boy, you could have whatever you wanted."

"I wouldn't have Madison!" He shouted. He then recomposed himself. "I wouldn't have her, or Tsubasa, or Vida, or Clare, or anybody else that I cared about!"

"This seems to be a touchy subject…" Midhat smiled as he used his fan to brush away the snow. "I like this."

Chip sighed heavily, retaking a defensive stance.

"I rather like your attire. You tried really hard, but you've only come off as a sort of peasant version of your sempai." Midhat laughed.

Chip had his normal Mystic Armor underneath the gold Knight gauntlets, shin guards, and chestplate. Gone was his normal epaulets and cape, and in was his brown cape from earlier that morning.

Chip looked down and shrugged. "It fits the criteria needed."

Midhat sighed. "Well, enough babbling. I say we fight."

"Agreed." Chip went to charge Midhat as the decaying ex-Saint grinned happily. With a flick of his wrist, several dozen Hideacs shot up out of the ground, creating a large barricade between Chip and Midhat. "We fight when you get here."

Chip exhaled and began planning through his crowd control method.

As Chip prepared his run through, Wolzard stood patiently for the few moments Nick took to prepare himself for the tale of Udonna's deal with him.

"Tell me. Why didn't you kill her?"

"Her deal was very simple, Red Magician. I didn't understand why she had done it, but for the sake of my Master…I agreed. It was too tempting." Wolzard grinned. "She agreed to let me capture her and I would help her fake her own death, and she would remain my prisoner and stand back as I took your lives to satiate Enma."

Nick blinked a few times, trying to understand what was just said. "…What?"

"We agreed that if I helped her fake her death, that she would remain a prisoner in my cells and be my slave while I destroyed her new little children…the five of you."

Nick gave him a doubting look. "Udonna wouldn't agree to something like that."

"I'm afraid that it is true, Red Magician." Wolzard kneeled beside Nick. "Do I have a reason to lie to you? I am at your mercy…"

"…Did she say why, at least?" Nick asked, still confused.

"She said that she believed that she would get the better end of the bargain…but of course, this was our first encounter. She had no clue how I ran things in my prison…she cried much during those first days…" Wolzard seemed to gaze off as he stopped speaking.

Nick huffed. "So…she willingly gave us up like that?"

"She did. At first, even I was amazed at her willingness to give up…I believed that she was trying to feint, as she had been losing our fight at the time. I laughed and questioned her offer…but it stayed the same…I couldn't resist…Enma's very wish, being offered to me with no catch. I worried about having a sorceress of such prestige as Udonna within my prison walls, but she kept to her word. I loosened up my grip on her…I guess I can say that I was glad. Doing so gave her time to escape her demise…"

A surge of pain surged up Wolzard's spine, ending around the crown of his head. He growled and clutched his head in pain.

_The doors shut tightly behind him, a red light filled the room._

"_I feel the Light within you…" The voice ahead whispered. It was barely audible, the gender indeterminate. Long vine-like ropes shot out around him. "I must have it…must devour it whole…"_

"_You won't-" A thick blade sunk into top back of his shoulder and pulled upwards, the warmth around his throat slowly sliding to the floor as the bond was severed. "Agh!"_

_A sinister laugh rang out, loud and bellowing. "I won't what?" The ropes surged forward, pulsating in a chaotic dance of excitement…_

Wolzard opened his eyes, and Garra had her face to his, making sure that he was alright.

"Are you…okay?" Nick asked.

Wolzard sighed a bit and groaned. "I…ugh…" Garra helped him up to his feet. "I suppose I should be fully honest. Should we be making our way back?"

"Hop aboard." Nick said, getting up. "I can walk."

"How kind."

"I know." Nick replied coldly. He handed his helmet to Wolzard. "You carry it."

"Agreed."

"C'mon, Garra. To my broom, then to Rootcore." Garra barked happily, and Wolzard ran a gentle hand over her mane.

"She looks well taken care of."

"Thank you. Mostly Udonna's doing." Nick replied curtly. They began their walk down to the water's edge, and Nick decided to make conversation. "You wanted to be fully honest. What do you have to say?"

"Well, I have a reason for asking for your help besides keeping my promise to protect Udonna."

"That is?"

"The Amulet."

Nick grimaced. "Oh, that again. Hell no."

"Hear me out, please."

Nick sighed. "Fine, but make it quick."

"The Amulet…I know that its power is great…but I've…had a conflict…"

"What kind of conflict?"

"Ever since the Marauders damaged Enma's Eye, the jewel that was in my shield…I've been having these…visions…of a life of something I never had…people I've never seen…things I've never done…"

"And you think the Amulet's gonna fix you?"

"Every time I try to find a solution to this problem, it's the only answer."

"I see." Nick dispelled his armor. "So…you think that if you had the Amulet's power, it would make sense of these broken thoughts?"

"The Amulet's power is legendary…one of its qualities is to drive away the cloudiness of the mind…I suppose you've been thinking clearer yourself lately?"

"Now that you mention it…" Nick grabbed the Amulet and stopped.

Wolzard stopped Garra and looked back at Nick. "Thinking of something?"

"…You know, you're a Madoushi, magic or not. If I decide to play your game and use the Amulet on you…I could kill you."

Wolzard smiled. "So many things could happen…I could die because of the Amulet…I could die by your hands…I could die by Infershian hands, or I could spend whatever amount of life I have left in me and live in fear and agony, slowly going insane until I die. Honestly? If I want death, I'd like it to be searing hot and bright." He chuckled lightly.

"Don't try and be smart with me…I'm the cop here, you're the con. I ask you questions, you answer them."

Wolzard looked away. "Are you trying to use the bad cop demeanor on me? I expected you to look much more intimidating than you are." Nick huffed and crossed his arms as Wolzard smiled slyly.

Nick looked down at the Lightfire Amulet for a moment, then looked back up. "So…you'd do this, even though you could die?" He asked, holding up the Amulet.

"I want to know what all if it means…I'd rather die than not know. Some of the visions are so peaceful…if it is something I could have now, I'd like to know…"

Nick nodded. "Alright…" Nick took the Amulet off and let it bunch up in his hand. "How should we do this?"

"It would work the best, I believe, if it was around my neck. It would clear my mind more without sacrificing what little power I have left."

"…Right." Nick said. Wolzard stood up, making Nick feel a bit short. Nick had always believed that he was a reasonable height, even though he was shorter than everybody but Madison, but Wolzard towered over him. Wolzard's chin was even with his eyes. "Um…okay…"

"Need me to bend down a bit?" Wolzard joked. Nick glared. "Alright…I cannot take the suspense…are you ready?"

"Ready if you are."

Nick slowly slid the Amulet's chain around Wolzard's neck and locked it. He took a deep breath and let go of it. Wolzard seized up and gasped as the Amulet began its work. His mind slowly opened up, and after a minute or so, it reset, dropping Wolzard to the floor, unconscious.

Chip charged into the group of Hideacs, hacking through the first four or so like a hot knife through butter. The fifth one tackled him to the ground, but he quickly pushed it off and stabbed it through the spine before getting to his feet. He went from a crouched position and spun around counterclockwise until he was standing up straight; the move knocked three Hideacs back a bit, giving him a chance to strike. "Goo Lujuna Gojika!" The sword gathered light energy and static electricity in the air and created a yellow-tinted beam of light that, once Chip swung the sword, knocked the unfortunate Hideacs in its path all the way back to Midhat. Midhat stepped back and magically flung the now lifeless bodies of his failed lackeys back at Chip.

"Feeling a bit understaffed, Madoushi?" Chip mocked.

"Feeling a bit tired, Mahoutsukai?" Midhat replied as he noticed how heavily Chip was breathing.

"I'll get a good rest once this is over with."

"I'll give you a good rest, all right, a permanent one once you reach me." Midhat smiled.

"Better leave the name off the tombstone for now…you're counting me out too early…" Chip replied, continuing his path towards Midhat.

He found an opening in the wave, and he slid his way in, only to have several Hideacs jump in front of him. He tried to back up, but several Hideacs blocked his rear exit before he had time to get out. Half a dozen more Hideacs finished the circular blockade, trapping Chip and preventing him for going any farther.

"I grow tired of this…" Midhat raised his fan upwards. "Zazare Mezaara Mejira."

Chip looked upwards as a Madou Circle formed up above him. He recognized the curse at hand and quickly countered. "Majiine Lujuna!" He held the sword above his head and formed a repelling shield just as the bolt of Madou energy crashed down towards him. He reflected the blast back upwards, shattering the Circle and negating the curse.

"Ah! You bastard! Can't you just let me steal your soul like a good little brat?" Midhat shouted, throwing a fit.

Chip's shield was once again attacked, but this time by the Hideacs. They tried to hack him in half around the waist, but the shield repelled their attack and knocked them back. Chip dropped the shield and stuck his sword in the ground. "Jiruma Gojika Lujuna!" A Saint Pentagram appeared below his feet, the center of it forming around the sword's blade. The Pentagram then began releasing arrows of light energy outwards that pierced through the Hideacs and mowed them down as if a circle of gatling guns had sprung up around the Yellow Magician. He pulled his sword out of the ground and kicked the final Hideac in the stomach as it charged, knocking it out.

"Dying isn't all that fun, Madoushi. I'd rather be alive for the moment."

Chip grinned and charged at Midhat, sword pointed straight at Midhat's heart. Midhat blocked the attack and slammed the back of his fan against Chip's face, slightly stunning him.

"Hit me all you want…" Chip said, recovering and quickly swinging the sword at Midhat. "All the pain I've suffered because of you numbs the blows…"

"Oh, are you upset about your little friends? They seem fine to me." Midhat replied, parrying the blow and summoning up a little gust of wind to push him back.

"Everything…everything you stand for…it's all a lie! You betrayed your friends! Your family! You gave them up for servitude?" Chip jumped forward slightly and swung more towards the waist.

"Servitude?" Midhat countered the move with a slashing arc, deflecting the blow and slicing at Chip's armor. "You make being an instrument of Enma's judgment sound so…gauche!" Midhat laughed, throwing up a sealing spell and locking Chip in place. Chip began shoulder-ramming the wall, but he ended up only with a sore shoulder. "Friends? Family? When you have power, you don't need any of them. Serving Enma brings me more joy than anyone I ever knew or cared about. Boy, you've too much potential to be fighting this silly little war against Enma…"

"Enma is the reason I fight!" Chip replied, trying to use his sword to pierce the shield. "As long as Enma and vile beings like you exist, I will fight!" He snarled as Midhat walked closer to him. "I will fight until there is not a Madoushi left on this planet!"

"What an ambition you have…" Midhat said. "But your soul will serve Enma's cause much better if untainted, I suppose…" He released the sealing spell, and Chip grinned.

Chip went to swing his arm to attack, but Midhat grabbed it and swung him about, tossing him far off towards the trees. Chip landed hard and slid a bit before Midhat teleported over, grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him against a tree.

"You know that you will die in your efforts…why do you care? In the end, it's only you."

"Death…means…nothing…" Chip replied slowly as he gasped for air and struggled to break free of Midhat's iron grip.

"Oh please…your death means that Enma shall return faster…but even if you manage to survive this…tell me, how do you plan to kill every other Madoushi on the planet?"

"I won't…on my own…I know that…" Chip replied, trying to tighten his grip on the sword that was slowly sliding out of his hand. "This will go on long after us…but I can…guarantee…that you…will not see my end…" Chip focused the rest of his magic into the sword, creating an electric field. He raised his arm to the side, and drove the blade into Midhat's hip.

Midhat winced and smacked Chip's hand with the fan as hard as he could, making Chip release the sword. He then levitated his fan in the air and grabbed the sword. "If I remember correctly, you were one of those pesky 'Wind Scouts'…let's see if you still fly." Midhat hammer tossed Chip into the air, then teleported up above him as he flew. He summoned the sword and tossed it as hard as he could.

He perfectly arced the toss, as it struck the chestplate with perfect aim, driving itself through the armor and shot its way through his back. The force drove Chip to the ground, where his body bounced against the ground, knocking the sword partially out until he lied flat on his back, the sword still driven into his left breast. Midhat teleported down and walked to Chip's side. "It's a pity that the only time you were wrong was when it counted…" He then summoned his fan and teleported back to Infershia.

Nick stood over Wolzard and watched as the Amulet began to dim a bit; Wolzard's skin darkened out as the paleness of the frigid darkness lifted from him. He opened his eyes slowly, adjusting to the light around him. He saw Nick's face and smiled. "My thoughts…they're so clear…thank you, Conall."

"…Nick." Nick replied flatly with a frown.

"My apologies…Nick." Wolzard said as he sat up. He slowly frowned as he began to think. "All I've done…I've done such monstrous things…" He sighed and began to tear up. "I was so weak to stop myself…"

Nick watched as Wolzard began to sob. "I destroyed every bit of joy I had…and I was helpless to stop myself…everyone I love has had to suffer endlessly…my children…my wife…my friends and associates…"

Nick bent down beside him. "You said that there were cheery things you remembered."

"It might be too late to relive them…"

"You can start over if it's too late, then. Make happier memories than the ones you have. I'm sure those who love you will forgive you for the things you've done."

"…Do you?" Wolzard asked. Nick bit his lip. "I'd understand if you don't. There's not much between us that's cheerful."

"I feel sorry for you, that bad things happened to you. But whatever you did to end up where you were…" Nick shook his head. "I'll bring you to Udonna. Maybe she'll help you out."

"I would love to see Udonna again." Wolzard said with a smile. "Let us not waste another moment talking."

"I agree. The quicker, the better." Nick replied. They both climbed on Garra's back and dashed off towards Rootcore.

After a few hours, they arrived safely at Rootcore. Sorin had slowly walked back upstairs nearly an hour before, and most others were asleep. Xander himself was passed out and drooling at his place on the center table. Udonna was fixing herself tea when Garra happily let her riders off and howled a greeting. Udonna turned around and smiled.

"Hello Gar-" She spotted Wolzard and dropped her teacup and coaster, letting them shatter at her feet and splash hot tea everywhere. Her eyes watered up as Wolzard smiled and approached her.

"Seeing you at home like this…the lighting does you justice." He replied as he embraced her. Udonna started crying heavily and buried her face in his chest.

Nick watched on in confusion as Udonna grabbed his jaw in wonder. "I don't want to believe you're alive…"

"But I am. Safe and sound. Bleeding a bit, but I have had worse."

Udonna looked at his neck. "Oh, you have a bad wound…"

"It is old…it is not going to heal. Do not worry about it."

Udonna sniffled as she tried to find the words to say. She then exhaled as she teared up again. "I've missed you so much…I thought you were dead…but you're here…" Udonna then buried her face in his chest again and let herself cry a bit more.

Xander perked up and sleepily looked around, one eyes still mostly closed. He wiped the drool from his mouth and blinked a few times. "'Ey…what's go'n on 'round 'ere?" He slurred out, still obviously half-asleep. He then spotted Wolzard, recognized the purple color, then nodded. "Ah, y're 'ere. Welcome, Mistah 'olzahd." He yawned loudly. "Sorry I'm not…good ta go…I'll say more in tha morn'n. 'Night." His head then swiftly dropped back to the table, and he once again charged off into Dreamland.

"He's not quite Oliver…but he's…interesting." Wolzard said.

"Xander is a wonderful Magician…Vankyuria loves him so much…he may not be the brightest, but he's the one with the most charm and grace." Udonna replied softly.

"As a Green Magician should be." Wolzard joked. He brushed a few strands of hair from Udonna's face. "You look as lovely as I remember…"

Nick coughed, catching their attention. Udonna's eyes lit up and she smiled. "Oh! Oh, Nick, come here…"

"I'm…a bit confused. Mind filling me in? I'm just slightly disturbed."

Udonna laughed. "Come here, Nick…I just want a big hug…the three of us, under one roof…"

"Would've been four if it wasn't for him!"

Wolzard looked down and Udonna looked up. Wolzard let go and took a step back, giving a sorrowful look to Nick as he turned around.

"Exactly! Fess up! My sister's dead because of you and your greedy bullshit!"

"Oh Majiel…" Udonna backed away towards the staircase to walk up to the dais.

"Udonna…"

"You…you killed Arwen…"

"I had no control over my actions! I didn't even know it was her until after it was said and done! She's safe with Crystal now, where nothing will happen to her."

"Why?" Udonna shouted, now standing by the dais and getting closer to the stairwell.

"Because he's a Madoushi!"

Udonna's eyes widened. "You…Sorin said…Sorin said you didn't do any of that…"

"I wasn't a Madoushi by choice…I was in fighting, and I was attacked from behind…and…the Amulet…" He showed his scar. "I had no protection. I was defenseless…it wasn't my choice to surrender."

Nick stared, trying to make sense of their fight.

"Oh Majiel…" Udonna looked at Xander, then to Nick, then back at Wolzard. "Oh Majiel…" She booked for the stairs, but not before Wolzard grabbed her arm. "Get away from me, Fintan! Get away from me!" Udonna dashed up the stairs crying. Wolzard sighed heavily.

"…What?" Nick asked, taking his own step back.

Wolzard turned around and sighed. "Nick, it's okay…"

"No, tell me what's going on. I wanna know EVERYTHING." Nick seemed entirely upset. Wolzard sighed and walked downstairs, approaching Nick cautiously.

"Nick…I know that you were so young…that you wouldn't know…"

Nick could practically say the rest of it himself. As Wolzard reached out to grab Nick's shoulder, he stepped back. "No." Nick took another step back. "Don't start that with me. You can fool Udonna, but not me."

"Nick, I know that this is hard for you…I wouldn't forgive me either." Wolzard winced slightly. "But how everything became this way was not my fault…Nick, I-"

"You're not my father, you're Wolzard, the most feared Madoushi in all of Infershia…" Nick sounded less like he was stating fact than he did sound as if he were convincing himself that it was all true. "You…you killed Sylvie, and you made a deal with Udonna so that she'd let you kill us…"

"That was me, I'll admit. It was my body, my power, my personal morals and logic…being used as a puppet for Enma. I wish you would believe me, but I doubt that you will."

"No!" Nick took a step back. "Sylvie told me you died…that you were a brave soldier, and you died in a fierce battle…" Nick began to become misty-eyed.

"I was, and still am, a brave soldier, Nick. I…my real self…died that day I became Wolzard. But I'm alive again…you brought me back." Wolzard smiled and hugged Nick, who was more interested in concealing his misery than trying to get away from Wolzard. "I have you to thank…I really do. My little baby boy…I regret leaving you behind…there wasn't a moment during that fight that I didn't worry about all of you…"

Nick cried. "Get away from me…" He mumbled through his tears.

"How many times have people told you that you look like me?"

Nick tried to think. He sniffled as he counted…Sorin, Sylvie, some of the Marauders, Udonna… "A few." He replied softly.

"Then look at me…" He replied. "Tell me that when you look at me, you don't see yourself." Nick wiped his eyes and slowly looked up. "Tell me that you don't see it, and I will just leave you alone forever."

Nick blinked and looked hard. Little features here and there, the skin tone was slightly darker, and his eyes looked similar to Sylvie's. Nick's eyes widened and he panicked.

"I'm sorry that it had to happen this way…"

Nick pulled away from him completely and shook his head. "I…I need to go…" Nick then ran out the back door and bolted as fast as he could.

Wolzard sighed and moped over to the couch in front of the fire. Garra joined him and lied her head on his lap, and he gave her a few loving pats on the back. "Well, at least somebody welcomed me home…" Garra looked up and licked his face, making him smile. "Glad somebody in my family still loves me…"

From upstairs erupted a scream that shattered the rests of everyone in Rootcore, including Xander's. The rapid dash of feet caused Wolzard and Xander to look up.

"Maddie, what's…wrong?" Xander asked, rubbing his eyes and standing up. She stopped for a moment, showing off her tear-stricken face. "Maddie, are you going outside? You don't even have slippers on…"

She dashed outside, crying hysterically. Wolzard, Garra and Xander followed her, and Udonna, Sorin, Vida, and Yuri all followed.

Madison scrambled outside through the snow in nothing but her nightgown to flag down Sorin's flying carpet.

She embraced the semi-hidden cargo and continued to cry. "Charlie!" The wind whipped about and revealed the sword sticking straight up out of Chip's torso. Sorin covered his mouth with his hands, as did Udonna. Vida ran over to grab Madison.

"Charlie, wake up…" Madison shouted, shaking his shoulders. Vida checked his wrist for a pulse, finding nothing but the silky feel of his Mystic Armor coupled with the coldness of the weather seeped into the skin below. Blood soaked the poor carpet, and Madison continued to shake him, hoping for any sort of response.

"This is my fault…" Sorin said, collapsing to the ground out of grief. Wolzard stood back, watching the entire scene. He hardly knew Chip, but on the few occasions that they had been partners, he saw his burning desire for justice burning within the young man. He grieved with the rest; he really had hoped to get to know Chip better.

"Maddie, c'mon inside, your feet must be freezing…" Vida said softly.

"Charlie…he's cold…we…need to help him…" Madison said through her tears. Vida grabbed her shoulders as Xander slowly approached the scene.

"Maddie, you're shaking. Wanna come inside for some hot cocoa?"

"I don't want anything!" Madison said, shaking Vida off. "I just want him to wake up…" She continued to cry heavily, then wrapped her arms around Chip's waist and lied her head against his icy chestplate. The tears quickly froze upon the surface, leaving thin icicles as mementos.

Xander and Vida both grabbed her and tore her away from Chip's body. Sorin got up slowly to retrieve his sword when Xander spotted Wolzard in the back. "Oh, hey…" He said. "Sorry…" Udonna and Sorin looked back. As soon as Sorin saw Wolzard, he blacked out from pure shock. Udonna did little more than wrap her arms around him and cry.

"It will be fine…"

"I'm so sorry…" She replied.

"We have other things to think about." He replied, watching as the carpet came closer.

Wolzard removed the sword from Chip's chest and looked at it in wonder. "Hm…" He then grabbed Chip's right arm and closed his eyes. He smiled widely and slowly slid Chip's Archer Brace off and looked at it. "I can bet Midhat is a very unhappy person right now…"

Midhat glared at the yellow crystal. "Glow, dammit!" He stared as he tried to tie up the wound that Chip had created. Even hours after the fact, a few drops here and there dripped out steadily, a little shock of pain shot through the wound, reminding him of the fight that had proven to be fruitless. "Master…I killed him! I killed him with Sungel's sword! How could this be?"

He got up and screamed for a moment, then calmed down, realizing that his tantrum would not get him what he wanted. "All this power…and I still manage to let him slip through my fingers…" He sighed. "There must be another way…"


	36. Antipyretic

The next morning, Fintan awoke to the sound of a whimper. He opened his eyes and found himself sleeping alone, save for Garra lying where Udonna should have been. Garra lied her muzzle down on the pillow and sighed. Fintan sat up and pet Garra softly. "Good morning to you too." He got up, and Garra followed him.

He walked out, and to his close left, Sorin stood in his civilian outfit, wearing significantly fewer bandages.

"Good morning, Sir." Sorin said, bowing slightly.

"You're looking better." Fintan commented.

"Kiran's excellent at healing burns, Sir." Sorin replied. "He said that I could even manage a fight by the end of the day."

"Good. Go relax then. Who knows what today will bring…" Fintan sighed. "They might try to manipulate our current fall in numbers…we'll need you if that turns out to be the case."

"Yes, Sir." Sorin bowed slightly and walked back into his room.

He walked past Raigel's door; the door had been bolted shut ever since Madison tried to desecrate the inside last night before once again collapsing in a puddle of tears. Garra growled at the door as she passed.

Fintan and Garra walked downstairs; the round table was empty, Xander and Vida's chairs pulled out a bit, and Madison's knocked across the room. Xander and Vida walked in from outside as he approached the table. They appeared to not have gotten any sleep.

"Good morning." They both mumbled.

"Good morning." Fintan replied.

"Any good news?" Clare asked as she swept the floor.

"She's finally asleep." Vida replied.

"Yeah, now we can sleep until she starts in again." Xander added.

"I guess that's good news." Clare replied.

"At least his bed'll still get use…" Vida sadly remarked as she walked upstairs.

Fintan looked over to the fireplace, where Udonna stood, stirring the contents of a small cauldron. He walked over and sighed, making her look up. Udonna weakly smiled.

"I'm…sorry for last night." Udonna said.

"Don't be sorry. I am just glad you're still talking to me." Fintan said, trying to laugh.

"Well, I'm making a little breakfast for whomever's here and awake, so…if you want some…"

"Of course. I miss your cooking almost as much as I miss you."

"I missed you so much too…" Udonna began to cry. "I'm so sorry…I should've been happier…" Udonna hugged him tightly.

Fintan hugged her back. "I wasn't expecting a warm welcome anyways. I was hoping, though, that everything that happened wasn't so fast…Conall's just upset at me…"

"Conall…?" Udonna then realized. "Where's Conall?"

Nick gasped for air and stopped for the tenth time since he had started running. He stood outside Rothwood's wall that the Silver Guardians had built, partially marveling at it, partially happy to finally see it. He grabbed his side and walked in slowly.

"Hey, who're you?" A guard as he passed under the archway. The guard stepped out from his post and walked up to Nick.

"Hey, I'm a citizen." Nick said. "I know I don't look it, but…hold on." He pulled out his wallet from his jean pocket and flashed off his driver's license. The guard lowered his shades and pointed his rifle down as he checked Nick's ID.

"This hasn't been renewed in almost a year." The guard said, sternly gazing at Nick. He pushed his shades back up and stood back at attention. "You should get it renewed."

"You got it."

"You're free to go in, by the way." The guard then smiled in a forced sort of cheery way. "Welcome to Tech City."

Nick gave him an odd look as he passed by. "…Thanks."

Nick knew exactly where he was going; the lights in the window up on the third floor of the apartment complex in question were lit and sparkling. He was home.

Nick pressed the buzzer on the side of the apartment complex's main door. The speaker turned on.

"Hello?"

"Let me in." Nick asked. The door buzzed and let him in.

Toby stood at the top of the third story stairwell, looking down at Nick. He was wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and grey thermal pants. "Hey Nick!" Nick looked up to him and frowned. "Hey, what's got ya down?"

"Can we talk inside?"

"Of course! C'mon in!" Toby smiled. "Don't mind the cold, though…the heater's broken."

"Something in this place's always broken…" Nick shook his head as he walked into Toby's apartment.

Toby's apartment was freezing cold as he walked in; he really had to get his heater fixed. The smell of a roast filled the air as Toby walked into the small kitchen. "Sit down, relax. Ya look tired."

"I ran here from the forest." Nick replied, sitting on the couch. Remnants of the heat that once filled the room whisked around Nick, teasing him. Nick shivered as Toby turned the sink on.

"Need a drink?" Toby asked.

"Please." Nick replied.

Toby walked out and handed Nick a beer. "Chill out, okay? Mind telling me what's going on?"

Nick took the beer and popped the top, then began to talk as Toby stood in front of the Christmas tree. "You remember that guy in the purple armor?"

"Big, tall guy, wolves on the shoulders and whatnot?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, what about him?"

Nick took a drink from the can. "Turns out…" Nick sighed. "He's…he's my father."

"You don't say…" Toby replied in a curious tone, giving Nick an odd look and placing his hands on his hips. "How'd you find this out?"

"…From my mom…"

"That's…that just sucks, man. Worst Christmas present ever." Toby shook his head. "I can see why you're so upset…" Toby walked into the kitchen.

Nick followed Toby into the kitchen. He took another sip of the beer and winced a bit. "I think this stuff's stale…"

"Wouldn't be surprised. It was on sale." Toby replied as he began washing something in the sink. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be…" Nick replied, taking another sip.

"So…you came here to hang out because of all the crap back over at the Big Treehouse, eh?" Toby asked.

"Basically, yeah." Nick took another sip. "You make it sound horrid, but that's pretty much it." Nick looked at the can. "Well, at least your fridge's working. This beer's nice and cold." Nick smiled. "Thanks." He took another sip.

"Well, glad I could be here for ya. That's what friends are fo-" Toby swung his arm back and accidentally let go of the blade he had been washing. Nick quickly side strafed and avoided the blade to the face, and the tip of the blade drove into the wall. Toby turned around. "Whoa, sorry! Sorry…"

Nick stared at the blade; it had no handle, and was pointed at both ends…it seemed almost impractical for people to hold it normally. "Weird…knife…thing."

Toby walked over and pulled the knife out of the wall with ease. "Yeah, mom got me this thing for Christmas…wanted me to carve the roast with it. Weirdest damn thing I've seen in my life."

"Yeah…" Nick sat down at the small table in the kitchen and set his beer next to an oiled rag. The oil was slightly caked on. "Been working on that metal death trap lately?" Nick asked.

"Wha?" Toby asked, turning around. Nick pointed to the rag. "Oh! Yes, working away at it. Can't get the damn thing to run…" Toby laughed loudly.

"How's the roast coming?"

"Coming along fine. Why don't you go out into the living room and watch some TV? Hard to move around here with the two of us."

"Yeah, sure…" Nick left for the living room. Nick continued drinking the beer and sighed. After a minute or so, Toby walked out and sat next to Nick on the couch.

"How're ya feeling?"

"Not any better." Nick replied, finishing off the can and slamming it on the coffee table.

Toby wrapped his arm around Nick's shoulders. "Ya know, I've known you for a long time…and I know that you're always so upbeat and ready to fight with these magic people you hang out with…but lately…" Toby sighed. "You've been bummed out."

"First I found out that my mother sold us out…then my dad's the guy who not only killed my sister, but tried to whack me, too…"

"That's harsh." Toby said. He rocked Nick a bit and smiled. "Ya know what? I really don't wanna impede on your life or anything, but…" He sighed. "You were a lot happier when your parents were dead."

Nick laughed. "You can say that again. I mean…I was better off believing that my dad was a war hero and my mom died of cancer."

"Yeah…in fact…you were a lot happier before you went off to find the crazy tree people out in Briarwood, I think."

"Ya think?" Nick asked, looking over at Toby, who replied with a simple nod. "Yeah, I was. I mean, I had a nice, stable job, a good apartment, and a lot of friends. Now I'm living in a tree with no pay, one of my friends just died, and my parents are just a pair of downright shitty failures." Nick held out his hands and let his face land into them.

"Need another drink?" Toby asked.

"Please." Nick replied. As Toby got up, Nick fell onto the rest of the couch. "Wait, nevermind…I'm feeling sick…I think that shit was stale…" He shivered and clenched his stomach.

"Yeah, I thought so too…I just checked the date, it's pretty fresh." Toby replied. "You're probably having nerve problems…either that, or running all the way from Briarwood's made you sick." Toby popped the top for Nick and set it in front of him. "The drink'll make you feel better."

Nick thought for a moment and contemplated turning it down, but a little nagging voice in the back of his head disagreed. "Yeah, yeah…" Nick sat up and grabbed the can.

"You'll be fine…just hang out here with me…" Toby smiled widely like a Cheshire cat. "Relax…"

"Whatever you say." Nick mindlessly said as he took a sip of the booze.

As he drank the second can, he went numb and grew colder, making him shiver. He couldn't, however, figure out why he was sweating. As he finished off the second can, he felt nauseous. "Toby…"

"Yeah?" Toby asked.

"Gotta puke…can't…get up…"

"Here…" Toby helped him up. "You can puke in the sink…"

"I was…thinking…in a toilet but…"

Toby panicked. "The pipes're on the fritz! Bad idea."

"In…just the bathroom?"

"Yeah!"

"In the bedroom one, too?"

"…Didn't think of that one." Toby replied, laughing loudly. "to the other bathroom we go!" Toby pointed for the back room.

As they passed the main bathroom, the smell of the roast suddenly spiked, and Nick noticed a reddish-brown substance stained in the carpet. "Is that-" Nick began pointing at it.

"Rust? Yeah…the pipes're busted, like I said." Toby smiled.

Right outside Toby's bedroom door sat the main thermostat. In an instant Nick noticed another sort of oddity. "It says it's 90 in here…"

"See? Told ya it's broken!" Toby laughed loudly. He walked Nick into the bedroom's bathroom. "Puke away!" He tossed Nick onto the toilet, stepped out, and locked the door behind him. "I'll give him ten-" Nick shouted from behind the door. "Five minutes…" Toby grinned and walked out. "Should probably clean up that mess…"

Fintan set the table back at Rootcore, feeling guilty. Yuri had just arrived back from a meeting of her 'children' over in her home castle in the east, and she brought good news for the denizens of Rootcore that she was going to share with them over breakfast. Sorin, who was now devoid of any visible bandages, walked downstairs to join in. Vida smelled breakfast and slowly made her way down, as well. Kiran, who rarely ate breakfast, thought it would only be proper to join Fintan at the table. Yuri woke Xander up as well; he had fallen asleep at the round table at his seat. Clare was the last person to decide to join the meal, and she sat down in Madison's seat. Udonna served up the meal she had been making, then sat down next to Fintan to enjoy it.

"It's good to see that we may not all be here, but we can still enjoy a good meal together." Fintan said softly. The group nodded.

"It's good for everybody to sort of…get to talking." Sorin replied.

"I agree." Fintan replied.

Vida chimed up. "Um…Mr. Bragel…" She blushed as she meekly spoke.

"Please…no need for formalities. Just call me Fintan."

"Okay…Mr. Fintan…" She weakly replied. She then cleared her voice and continued. "I know…this might be a bad time to ask, but…"

"I know what you're going to ask, and it's okay. I should explain what happened…"

_Fintan ran through the field, Taranis not far behind. Taranis swung his tail about, smashing through the Hideac waves. Bragel sent a wave of energy surging through, dividing the ranks straight down the middle. It began to rain and thunder, and Taranis glared. "I think I saw a small unit running towards the forest…" He shouted to Fintan._

"_Udonna can handle them!" Fintan responded._

"_No, they looked heavily armored. They might overwhelm her!"_

"_Sorin and Crystal should still be with her!"_

"_We can't take our chances, now, can we?" Taranis sounded convincing. "Besides, if they're both guarding the peasant girl, who is watching over your children?" Taranis grinned evilly, but Fintan couldn't see it._

"_Fine! But come back with Clarin!"_

"_You got it." Taranis high-tailed it for the forest._

"That's when he got back here…he was right…I was holding down the fort…" Sorin replied.

_Taranis burst through Rootcore's main entrance, where Sorin stood guard._

"_Aren't you supposed to be with Bragel?" Sorin asked._

"_He's doomed anyways…it doesn't matter…" Taranis replied. He pointed his sword at Udonna, causing Crystal, Clarin, and Sorin to jump._

"_Hey! Watch it!" Sorin ordered, pointing his sword back._

"_We should take this outside…wouldn't want the kiddies to have to watch!" A Saint Circle opened up underneath the two teleporting them into the archery range._

"_Raigel…stop this!" Sorin shouted._

"_You and your heroism…this war has raged for centuries! We are few, and they are many!" Taranis grinned. "We have all the power we're allowed to have…and they just have power lying around like rubbish."_

"_What are you saying?" Sorin asked._

"_I'm saying that we have no chance, so I'm making your deaths easier." Taranis shook his head. "A wise man once said, "It is better to die by the hands of a caring and familiar friend than to die by the hands of an cruel and unknown executioner". I guess this makes me your supposedly caring and familiar friend." Taranis laughed as he lunged at Sorin._

"_Raigel! Stop!" Sorin put up a guard and blocked Taranis's attack._

"So we fought for hours, and I pulled him away from Rootcore. I managed to teleport us to a far away desert where I knew nothing would hinder our fight and that it would only be the two of us." Sorin nodded. "I cast a spell on him to make him fall into a permanent sleep, and it worked, but I drained a great deal of my energy. It was there that Kiran and I met, and he helped me into the temple which we had both spent the last 20 or so years." Sorin placed his hand on Kiran's shoulder. "See, Kiran here is a historian and a scholar when he's not a genie, and he's spent all of his time documenting our trials and tribulations." Kiran smiled.

"All I have learned from the last two generations of warriors is astonishing, to be honest. Never have any of these fights become so personal and so dividing in ranks until twenty years ago." Kiran replied. "I doubt, with Raigel in a high position of power in Infershia, and a massive plan in tow, that things will be any less personal or violent in the coming times."

"Mmm. Especially not while I am still alive…" Fintan replied. "I must say, Sorin, you did a very good job while I was out."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Unfortunately, I was not as fortunate…"

Fintan ran through the Gates of Infershia, the tall doors shutting behind him as he continued down into the throne room of Infershia. He found little resistance as he ran down; it was if he were being greeted in with how every door down was either open or unlocked. He entered the throne room and found it empty, and in an instant, all around him was darkness. He couldn't see anything in front of him until a sudden burst of red light illuminated just enough to see a silhouette of something in front of him. 

"_I feel the Light within you, visitor…" A whispering voice called out. "I feel it surrounding you…"_

"_We finally meet, Enma." Fintan called out, grinning._

"_This is the first time and the last time, young Saint of Bravery."_

"_I can agree with that." Fintan nodded._

"_You are the highest of your army…I take great pleasure in welcoming you to my chambers. Only you are worthy to meet me face-to-face…"_

"_The pleasure's all yours, demon." Fintan replied._

"_That light…your light…" Long vine-like tentacles shot out around Enma from his back. "I must have it…must devour it whole…"_

"_You won't-" A thick blade sunk into the back of his shoulder and pulled upwards, severing the chain of the Lightfire Amulet and causing it to slide down and drop to the floor._

_Branken laughed as Fintan dropped to his knees. "I won't what?" Enma asked. Fintan grabbed the Amulet as the tentacles wrapped around him tightly and pulled him in._

"_My dear…unleash me…" Enma called out. Morrigan grinned and released the restraints on Enma's face, unleashing a mouth filled with tentacles._

"_Die, stupid Saint." Morrigan said, giggling. As small as she was, she still found delight in the situation. Vankyuria pulled her back to avoid Enma's attacks._

_Enma started to squeeze the life out of Fintan as he pulled him closer, wrapping more and more tentacles around him. "Tell me, dear Saint, did you ever imagine that you would die like this? Have the very life sucked and squeezed out of you like a little lobster?"_

"_Don't…count me out yet!" Fintan shouted. He watched as countless Madoushi and Hideacs crowded into the rafters to watch the event. Branken, Vankyuria, and Morrigan joined their ranks as well. Fintan brandished his sword and knocked his helmet's mask up a bit so that the masses could see his face as he grinned. "Hope you enjoy the show!" He shouted as he drove his blade into several tentacles and cut them off._

"_That barely hurt, puny Saint." Enma replied, squeezing harder and drawing him closer. Enma then began to inhale, drawing Fintan's power away from him. "Ah, this light…"_

_Fintan winced as the Lightfire Amulet began to glow. He felt slightly woozy, but he focused on the task at hand. He focused all of the power that remained to his sword. The tentacles shifted towards Enma's left just slightly, and Fintan grinned. "Do you really need four eyes?" Fintan queried, driving his blade directly above Enma's upper left eye. He then cut it completely out, causing it to crystallize. Enma screamed from his vocal chords this time, and the noise was unbearable; it was a cacophony of dying crustaceans and screeching bats, howling demons crying out in agony, with a bit of a gurgle as if he had a large clump of sea water in his throat. He closed his remaining three eyes and panicked._

"_See? I warned you!" Fintan gloated._

"_Minions, leave!" Enma shouted. The crowd dispersed, and they all ran for shelter._

"_Afraid to lose in front of your adoring children?" Fintan taunted. Enma did not answer, but merely continued devouring Fintan's energy._

_The Lightfire Amulet grew warmer, drawing its own strength from Fintan while supplying him with enough energy to carry on._

_Fintan sighed and closed his eyes. "Majiel, give me strength…" He pointed his blade tip at the floor. "Luuma Golu Lujuna!"_

_A Saint Pentagram opened up beneath two of them, locking them in place. _

"_You…sentence yourself to death?" Enma asked, confused._

"_I won't allow anyone to ever suffer your tyranny again…even if I can't live in that world, I can't allow you to live in it either!" Fintan growled. "Maaji Golu Jii Majika!" The shield on his back transmuted into another sword; instead of the fiery wide blade in his right hand, this one was narrower and shaped much more like a longsword with a golden and black hilt._

_Fintan grabbed the longsword and, with both blades charged with energy, sliced away the bond holding him to Enma; he tore through every single tentacle attached to him, causing blood to splatter everywhere. _

_Fintan's armor was drenched, his red fur cape, purple and red fur underarmor, and red fur epaulets became matted down in the demon god's blood. Enma stumbled towards the center of the floor, the Pentagram not allowing him to move any farther._

"_You fool!" Enma shouted, the limits of his mental voice being pushed. "You think cutting away my tentacles will stop me?" More tentacles shot out from his fingers and back towards Fintan. Enma was less interested in gathering up his power now, so he stopped devouring. All he wanted was to kill him. "I'll toss your shattered remains into the crowd of your children, and watch as your little ones cry in agony!"_

_Fintan growled and changed the longsword back into his shield. "I'll make it so my children will think of you as nothing more than a bad dream!" He tossed the Amulet and the shield aside and gripped his sword tightly with both hands. The sword glowed a bright crimson as Fintan growled louder. "Maaji Golu Majika!"_

_He swung the sword, releasing the energy in a brilliantly shining arc and sliced through every tentacle in its path and eventually dividing the great demon in half. Enma screamed in agony as his body began to fall apart. In one final effort, Enma regurgitated the energy it had devoured from Fintan and fired it back, lacing it with his own energy. The blast was unblockable, and Fintan was smashed against his own barrier with it. His own energy burned at his weakened body, while the dark energy bored beneath the surface and began to eat away at whatever was left of Fintan's energy._

_Enma fell to pieces, leaving his ethereal self to hover slightly over the remains. As the last of Enma's attack tore at Fintan, he closed his eyes and focused what was left of him inwards, sealing it away to prevent the dark magic from destroying it._

_The seal focused on the ethereal form and the remains of Enma, then drew them downwards, down beneath the ground. Enma's ethereal self pointed at Fintan's body. "A sacrifice you have made yourself, and a shame it would be to waste your body…" A Madou Circle opened up beneath Fintan's body. "Ugaro Uu Zanga Zazare!" _

_Dark magic tentacles shot up and wrapped Fintan's body up, then began pumping his body full of Madou energy. From a short distance away, the Lightfire Amulet glowed brightly, trying in vain to save its owner…_

"And that's all I can remember…" Fintan sighed and placed his hand over the Amulet. "Last night, I took the time to think about just why everything had happened as such…" He smiled. "I've come to the conclusion that the Amulet, knowing that my very soul was in danger of being devoured, tried to seal it up within itself."

"How does that work?" Xander asked. "Crystals aren't sentient…"

"Crystals imbued with the magic of Saints have a sort of…protection…that it passes onto the wearers. It provides a great deal of power in a crisis, but it also requires a part of the wearer to tap into this power." Vida replied.

"Exactly, Miss…"

"Vida. Vida Rocca."

"Miss Vida." Fintan smiled. "So, as I was trying to think of a reason as to why, without the Amulet, I came to my senses slowly…I had realized that the Amulet hadn't retained all of me, but merely a piece of me. Once I had let it go, it couldn't save me any longer, and that is why I had to seal the rest of myself away in my own body…which was why as soon as I ran into Udonna, I began to come to my senses." He looked over to Udonna, and they both shared a warm smile.

"Well, how did Snowjiel get a hold of the Amulet if it was with you?" Clare asked.

"Yes, I would like to know also…" Sorin added.

Udonna smiled. "Well, when Fintan, who had become Wolzard at that point, returned, he came with a message and a box…"

_Udonna, Crystal, and Clarin stood on the field in front of a large Madou Circle. In front of them stood the purple-armored Madoushi, Wolzard, bearing a long and thin box._

"_Who are you?" Clarin asked, pointing her Lunar Rod at him._

"_I am Infershia's champion. My name…is Wolzard, the Wolf Knight of the Madoushi." He replied._

"_If you are a Madoushi, why do you not fight?" Crystal replied, guarding Udonna with her Glacier Rod. Udonna glared at him._

"_The war is over. My master…is no more." Wolzard sighed and looked down._

"_Are you surrendering, then?" Udonna asked._

"_No…merely delivering a parcel to those who are alive…as a memento from my master." Wolzard tossed the box at them, and Udonna caught it. She slowly opened it, then quickly closed it, collapsing to the ground and crying. Crystal and Clarin turned around and kneeled down to comfort her._

"_What is it?" Clarin asked._

"_It's Fintan's…" She cried heavier and dropped the box. Crystal picked it up and opened it._

"_It's his Amulet…" Crystal said to Clarin as she looked up. A look of terror took shape in her features._

"_You murderer!" Udonna shouted, attempting to lunge at him._

"We all believed Fintan was dead…" Udonna replied. "We were wrong, though. I'm glad we were wrong." Udonna smiled and leaned her head on Fintan's shoulder. Sorin smiled.

They began to finally dig in to Udonna's breakfast for them, and Yuri began to talk about how her 'children' would be willing to assist Mahoutsukai in their areas so long as it was at night and they were overwhelmed. It was a step in the right direction for the vampires, even with the heavy restrictions. The group seemed to agree on that fact unanimously.

After everybody had finished eating, Vida sighed. Sorin looked at her. "What is wrong, Miss Vida?" He asked.

"What…what are we going to do with Chip…?"

"We give him what he deserves…a hero's funeral." Fintan replied. "For his valiant efforts, he deserves no less." The group nodded in agreement.

"Where're we gonna bury him?" Xander asked.

"We should bring him home." A voice called out from behind them. They turned around and saw Madison clutching onto one of the pillows from his bed. Tsubasa was sitting beside her. "I think he'd want to be buried in the open plains so that he can run forever." Madison smiled weakly and brushed away the tears that came.

Nick stood in the living room of the apartment, staring straight through Toby as he spoke, absorbing every word that came out of his mouth.

"Now, I've told you the best course of action…do you think you can handle it?" Nick stood still, merely staring. Toby smiled. "Good. Everything'll be just fine when you're done, okay? Don't worry about it." He patted Nick on top of his head. "I'll be there later to check up on you, okay?" Still no sort of response. "Good! Good. Now get going."

Nick left the apartment silently, leaving Toby to sigh and relax. "Ah, today's going to be great!" Toby said, plopping himself on the couch next to the giant black trash bag. "Don't you think so, there, mate?" He poked the bag with his oddly-shaped knife, making it rock slightly. "Wanna watch some of this…nonsense?" He asked. He got no response. "Great!"

He spun the knife in the air and it landed as an open fan, which he used to shock the TV into turning on. A little flick of the wrist caused the channels to flip around, and he eventually landed on a game show of sorts. "Ah! This looks mildly entertaining!" Toby said, nudging the bag. "Can you see in there?" He asked. He got no response. "Ah, of course you can't! I covered your eyes! Hold on a moment…"

He opened the bag slightly and pulled the bag down around the body's neck, revealing the head and its severely frizzed and staticy hair to slump forwards a bit. "Aw! You should watch this! It's funny!" He pulled the head back and held it in place. "See? Isn't it funny?" Toby laughed, but the body just stared out through its cold, dead eyes. "I know!"

Madison, Vida, Xander, Clare, Udonna, and Yuri all flew towards Mysteria, all holding a handle on Chip's casket. They looked for the place where Crystal and Clarin had prepared the spot for Chip to be buried.

Xander leaned forwards and whispered into Yuri's ear. "…Love?"

"Yes?"

"I…I don't mean to be rude, but…why couldn't you just…bring him back? I mean, it'd save us a lot of heartache…"

"Well, there's no soul. I can't put somebody back together if there's only a body."

"…Oh."

As they flew over the Mysterian plains, they spotted an enclosed garden with the two Saints inside, along with Oliver. They waved the group down and they began to land.

Oliver left with a bow after they set the casket in the barren patch. All around the casket, ivy latched itself to the handles in preparation for the end burial. Blue lotus and patches of wild pink roses of varying tones lined the outer ring of the fenced in area. Cypress trees were planted at the north end of the fence. The sun was high in the air as everybody began preparing for the ceremony. The Magicians all wore white hooded robes with the Mahou Circle stitched over the left breast, trimmed in their branch colors, while the Saints wore their normal attire. Yuri wore a long black dress with a brimmed hat and a lace face cover to hide her tears.

Crystal placed a few nasturtiums on top of his coffin and sighed. "We're dropping like flies…" She said. She then quickly pulled Clare aside.

"I heard that Udonna passed down her wand to you…" Crystal smiled lightly. "I know…it's not the time to be happy over such little things, but…I wanted to give you a little congratulations present." She took off her barrettes and softly slid them into Clare's hair. They were pearl barrettes adorned with little quartz snowflakes. "You look so nice with them in your hair."

"…Thanks." Clare sniffled.

"I'll stay with all of you for the ceremony…" Crystal smiled. "I miss him already."

Clare and Crystal rejoined the ceremony as Clarin began to speak. "Let us place upon the coffin our gifts to the departed, so that they will feel our veneration in the next life…"

Xander stepped up first, placing a small wreath of oak leaves on top. Vida then stepped forwards, placing seven yellow zinnias, two fennel flowers, and a few eucalyptus leaves on top. Yuri placed several black roses strung together with string and decorated with acorns on top. Udonna placed fifteen small dark crimson roses on top, tied with a yellow string. Clare placed several lily of the valleys on top which were tied in a daisy chain. Clarin softly laid a few globe amaranths on top. Madison sighed and put her bouquet on top. It was a large bouquet; sunflowers and long-stemmed red and white roses made up the majority of the bulk, lilacs and heliotropes filled in the larger spaces, wallflowers, primroses, and little blue periwinkles filled it out entirely underneath the baby blue silk ribbon. She kissed the single pink carnation and cried as she took a step back.

Back at Rootcore, Sorin and Fintan sat at the round table, sipping tea.

"I wish things had been better…I think he would've been better off under your care."

"His methods, I remember, reminded me of a younger me. A bit more fearless, perhaps. I wouldn't have hesitated to put some of it back in him, though." Fintan grinned. "A man without fear is a kamikaze…and one should not be that way every waking moment of their life." He took a sip of his tea. "I speak from experience, unfortunately."

"Well, Conall is very methodical, from what I've heard and seen."

"Well then, you have my blessing…and my condolences." Fintan smiled and Sorin chuckled.

"He's got his father's temper, that's for sure."

"His mother's stubbornness, too."

"Ah, she was tenacious in those days…she's mellowed out, from the looks of it."

"Worn thin from stress…" Fintan sighed.

"It's not your fault." Sorin replied.

"I still feel like I should've done things differently…" He laughed. "I know I'll sound soft, but I'd like to have done something to get the approval of Conall."

"Well, we're not all perfect. Charlie was a good kid, but he was far from unblemished. Conall's judging you for things beyond your control…things will blow over and he'll be just fine…"

The front door blew open, blasting cold air from outside in. Sorin and Fintan looked to see who was coming.

Nick stepped in slowly, his eyes fixated on Fintan.

"Nick!" Fintan said cheerily. "Welcome home!"

"Nick! You look a little down. You feeling alright?" Sorin asked.

"Want some tea?" Fintan asked. Nick silently approached the table and sat in his seat. "Not in a mood to speak, eh?"

"You're looking a little chilled…you've still got snow on your shoulders…" Sorin said, brushing the snow off. Nick swiftly grabbed Sorin's arm and held it away from his shoulder, then flashed a look of anger at him for a moment before tossing his arm aside. Sorin stood up and gave a mildly scared look back. "I'm going to…do a little archery…ya know, knock the snow off the board." Sorin smiled and quickly made his way for the back door.

Fintan slid a cup of tea over to Nick. "Here, you look parched."

Nick looked at the cup for a moment, grasping the cup tightly. The steam billowed a bit heavier as he held it.

"…Are you going to attend Charlie's funeral…?" Fintan asked. Nick silently continued to stare at his cup as it began to boil. "I hope you're not planning to drink it that hot…"

Nick looked up, a sinister look in his eyes. "Nope." He tossed the tea at Fintan as he stood up. The hot tea scorched Fintan's skin, causing him to fall out of his seat to try and avoid the rest of it. He looked up at Nick who had somehow silently walked over to hover over him.

"Nick…" Fintan said, wiping the tea away from his face. "What possessed you to do such a thing?"

"I've given up so much…and I've gotten nothing back…" Nick's voice sounded quieter, yet strained.

"Nick…" Fintan stared at him in wonder; he could almost see where this was going.

Nick slowly slid his wand out of his pocket. "And he was right…" His Cheshire grin lasted a mere second before his face dropped back to a look mixed with anger and joy. "I was better off when you were dead."

Within milliseconds his wand transmuted into a sword, and any other person would've literally lost their head. However, Fintan had enough sense to roll to the side, and all that he lost was the tip of his long ponytail. Fintan panicked; he was unarmed, and Nick wasn't. If the fight were the other way, he'd have a 50-50 chance of winning, but he had absolutely no chance of surviving now.

Sorin continued firing arrows into the target, missing horridly. He heard a door creak open, so he looked to the door on the main floor. The door was closed, and Nick and Fintan were apparently talking. "Well, there's a nice sight." Sorin smiled weakly. "Now…what door…?" He looked up and spotted the door and the person who opened it. His eyes widened. "Midhat…?"

"Good day, Sungel!" Midhat shouted. Sorin pulled his sword out of the ground where he had sat it, and Midhat held his fan up. "Oh, I'm just here for the show."

"…Show?"

"Oh, it hasn't started yet? I'm early? Fine." Midhat summoned a chair on his balcony and sat down on it.

"What are you going on about?"

"Oh, there's going to be a lovely show that will start any time now…I wanted good seats." Midhat smiled. Sorin panicked and looked downstairs; Nick was chasing Fintan as he dashed out the main doors. Fintan ran to Sorin's side, and Nick stopped twenty or so feet away.

"Ah, the show is about to begin!" Midhat cheered. He summoned up a small bowl of popcorn and slouched back in his chair.

Sorin looked at Nick, then at Midhat. "You planned this, didn't you?"

"Oh, he merely is a poor boy with many problems…I found him in his time of need, and merely gave him a solution to his problems. Nobody else seemed to care about him…it was always what everybody else wanted, you see…can't the boy want something as well?" Midhat stood up. "Tell them, dear boy…"

"I had a beautiful life, and a bright future…I had friends and family…my sister and I were happy…" He began to tear up. "I was happy in the lie that my family was so wonderful…I was living a successful life in ignorant bliss…I had all that I ever wanted…" Nick glared at Sorin and Fintan. "It's all gone, now…my friends, my sister, my beautiful dreams…you're all to blame…"

"See? Doesn't anybody around here care about you and your feelings?"

"No. They only care about their little war."

"Exactly!"

"Nick, stop this!" Fintan shouted. "I know that I'm not a role model of any kind…but this isn't the way to solve this!"

"If you were upset, you could have come to me!" Sorin added.

"Nick, I do believe that you should show them that little ace up your sleeve…" Midhat shouted happily. Nick turned around. "I think it would get this done and over with faster, don't you?"

"It would…" Nick replied, turning back around.

He drove the tip of his sword into the ground, creating a red Mahou Circle underneath his feet. A blaze of fire surrounded Nick for a few seconds, then exploded outwards, revealing the transformation underneath.

Nick now wore a red suit of armor, designed to resemble a phoenix. His chestplate was streamlined and had an engraved phoenix symbol in the center. His epaulets were talons, and the arms were guarded by thick scale mail. His gauntlets and greaves resembled Sorin's, except that they were flexible and were jointed in a way to prevent skin exposure. The fauld hung down to a bit past his waist, and it was fashioned to look like phoenix feathers. His helmet was shaped to look like a phoenix's head, and it came complete with a plain faceguard.

As Nick pulled his sword out of the ground, a ring of fire surrounded it and transformed it into a long blade shaped like a phoenix tail with the hilt in the shape of the phoenix symbol. Nick glared at Sorin and Fintan, who were only staring back in wonder.

"He has…Saint Armor…?" Sorin asked Fintan.

"That's one mighty 'ace'…" Fintan said, avoiding the question. "It's built like a fortress…"

"Goolu Golu Goludiiro!" Sorin said, taking out his wand and transforming. He gave his sword to Fintan and summoned his Mystic Lamp. "Here."

Fintan grabbed the sword and took a defensive stance. "I really do not wish to fight you, son…but if I must…"

"What kind of warrior are you if you can't fight me?" Nick asked. "Are you afraid that you will lose?"

"No, I fear that I will never have you back." Fintan replied. "To further lose my family…it is my greatest fear."

"You lost me the moment you left." Nick coldly retorted.

"You were too young to think of those things." Fintan replied, continuing his bracing.

"I'm through with talking." Nick jumped into the air, a pair of red metallic wings shooting out from his back. He glided through the air, sword poised to come crashing down.

"Nick! Stop!" Sorin said, firing off a few blasts of energy. They ricocheted off and crashed around the field, melting the snow.

Fintan put up a guard and Nick smashed into it, knocking the sword from Fintan's hand and kicking him to the ground.

"Do you regret your stupidity now?" Nick taunted as he pulled the sword above his head and pointed the blade tip downward in preparation to impale the Saint below him.

As he swung down, Fintan grabbed his wrists and tried to reposition the blade. "Nick…please…I know I made mistakes…but it was to save you from suffering like this! I wanted you to live in a world without suffering! Without Infershia! Even if it would mean it was without me!" Nick's eyes flashed a look of sorrow for a few milliseconds before shifting back. "Please stop this…Sorin and I understand that all of your personal sacrifices have begun to bother you…we can help you…"

"I don't want your help…you've helped enough." Nick gruffly replied.

Midhat watched from his seat at the balcony, and Sorin glared. "How could you do this to him?" He asked, pointing to Nick.

"Like I said before, I gave him a wonderful solution to his myriad problems."

"By killing us? What, you're not man enough to kill us yourself?"

Midhat went to jump but the wound in his side shocked him a bit. He held the wound gingerly, letting the tiny beads of blood seep out again. "I had a long day yesterday, what, with killing that little pest. I didn't get anything out of it except for a tiny bit of amusement…that little ginger was quite the comedian. Pity he wasn't smart."

Sorin growled and teleported up to Midhat's balcony. Sorin watched as Midhat bled a bit. "So the stupid ginger left you a gift, I see." Sorin smirked.

Midhat winced which contorted into a glare. "It's nothing compared to what that boy's going to do to you."

"Well the grand question now is, what do you plan to do to me?" Sorin asked, setting the Mystic Lamp's blaster tip to Midhat's forehead. "You know how itchy my trigger finger is when I'm excited."

Midhat waved his fan and a gust of wind sent Sorin flying through the air. He fired off several rounds of solar magic bolts, and Midhat blocked them with ease.

"Not so fast, Raigel." Sorin charged the Mystic Lamp up to full power, and auto-targeted his shot. "Golu Jiruma Gojika! Prominence Burst!" He pulled the trigger, sending him rocketing into the ground from the recoil, and a dozen beams of white-hot solar energy shot upwards like missiles out of a fantastical rocket launcher.

"Mejira." Midhat put up a shield to block the shots, but they shattered through the shield, breaking it into a beautiful rain of black glass and smashed into Midhat, burning him intensely and causing him to fall to his knees. "I admit, that was a lovely move…" Midhat whimpered.

Fintan couldn't hold the blade back much longer. Nick grunted as he pushed one last time, and Fintan knew that he would give. He closed his eyes and waited for the blade to slide through him…

Only it didn't come. He opened his eyes and saw the world around him frozen, his son's eyes glaring menacingly at him. He looked backwards and saw the hem of a long grey skirt.

"Hello, Terpsichore." He said.

"You do not address me by first name, boy." Chronojiel replied.

"Mind humoring me as to why you are saving me?"

"Don't sound grateful now…" She replied with a grin. "First off, I lament the loss of the Kiiro no Mahoutsukai. I didn't like him, but I'm sure you would've done the same in the same situation." She bent down next to Fintan's head. "I'm not sure many people know this, but these wars have taken a toll on me…having to watch my sister's children fall time after time…she replaces them, but it's not the same. And now they're going against my rules and bringing back those who were long dead and corrupting those who are not. You are my sister's strongest boy…it would be a shame if you died weaponless." He pulled down his right hand and put in his hand a trigger wand, similar to Sorin's. "My sister told you to use something a long time ago with this, but you refused. Don't have the same mistake twice." She stood up and Fintan smirked. "I'll give you five seconds by the time I leave. Hurry." She disappeared.

"Goolu Golu Golu Goludiiro!" He pulled the trigger, and a dark crimson light surrounded him.

Time restored, and the force of the light knocked Nick back and away. Sorin slowly got out of the hole in the ground, and Midhat looked out from the balcony.

Fintan's Saint Armor flashed upon him for a moment, then it all faded to tight black Mystic Armor. Then dark crimson greaves, a fauld, chestplate, gauntlets, and boots, all trimmed with silver and gold appeared. Around his head formed a black helmet with a dark crimson faceplate, and his epaulets appeared in the form of silver wolves. Upon the top of his chestplate, a gold 'W' shaped out, and his helmet followed suit by carving out a black 'W' for his visor. The trigger wand transformed into his Saint sword and shield, then transformed again into a familiar sword and shield pair.

Midhat gasped. "NO! IT CAN'T BE!" He stood up, holding his side. "I had him…right under my nose the entire time! THE ENTIRE TIME!" He stamped and growled.

Sorin grinned. "Amazing…"

Fintan stood up, marveling at his improved Knight Armor. "So this is where it came from…" His shield began to spark. "Oh…" He opened up the top of his shield, revealing the shattered eye. "I have something for your master, Raigel…" He used his sword to flick out the shattered eye, which fell out dripping with goo from the inside. "Tell him he can have his shoddy eye back!"

Midhat gasped in horror. "How…HOW DARE YOU TREAT ANYTHING BELONGING TO THE GREAT ENMA WITH SUCH DISRESPECT!" He teleported down and grabbed the eye, then turned to Nick. "Finish what you came here to do…show no mercy to these careless heathens!"

"You don't have to ask." Nick replied as Midhat teleported away. Nick drew up his sword and sneered. "Nice to see that you wore that armor again…I was waiting to see when you'd wear it again…nice color this time. Less effeminate." He then glared. "But red's not your color. It's mine."

Nick charged at Fintan, screaming loudly…

And hundreds of miles away, the ground shook ever so slightly beneath Xander's feet in warning, the pounding of feet charging in anger, and he turned around, looking south. The wind blew through Vida's hair, a wave of anger in it, the sounds of screaming and swords clashing, and she turned and looked to the south. The tears streaming down Madison's face stung like cut wounds, the feeling of fire within the deep wounds, and she looked away from the coffin and looked to the south. Clare got a chill up her spine that felt like fire and the fear within it, the fear of fighting and the fear of more bloodshed, and she looked to the south to see if it was as near to her as it felt.

Clarin and Crystal looked at them, realizing what was going on. "We'll hold the ceremony. Go do what you must…and hurry." Crystal said. "You all know something's wrong…go fix it." The quartet nodded, then left.

Fintan spun his sword around, removing the eye goo from the blade, then pointed at Nick. "I honestly do not wish to harm you. You are my son, and the damage I have done is irreparable, but we can start over with a clean slate and everything will be fine."

"We can't just restart everything! You killed Sylvie! We can't just pretend that you didn't kill her! We can't just pretend that everything is okay!"

"Sylvie is safe and sound, Nick. She is with Majiel and Snowjiel now, and that is the safest place for her to be."

"It doesn't change what you did!" Nick jumped up and growled as he once again attempted to impale Fintan.

Fintan let the blade tip sink into the hole left by Enma's Eye, then flung the blow away, opening Nick up. Fintan slashed at the weakest armored part of him, his mid-section, then swung. The blade danced across the armor that was there, sending tiny embers up. Nick laughed evilly, then roundhoused Fintan on his back. "Oh please. You can't get through this armor."

"Nick! Stop it!" Sorin shouted. "You're going to do something you regret if you don't!"

"To hell with you!" Nick turned around and swung his blade in an arc, sending a wave of fire at Sorin and tossing him back into Rootcore and forcing him out of transformation.

Four brooms raced above the forest, looking down. "I hate this feeling that something is wrong…" Madison said. "I don't want to leave Charlie's funeral…but…this feeling…"

"We understand. We all have that gut instinct." Xander replied.

"Guys…down at Rootcore…" Clare pointed out. "What…what is that…?"

"Is that…Wolzard?" Vida asked.

"It's that armor…only…it's red…" Xander said. "and what is that fighting it…?"

"Is…that…Nick?" Madison said, looking mortified. "What's going on?"

"There's no time for questions." Xander said, pulling into a nosedive.

"Let's go!" Vida replied, following Xander.

"Ugh, those two…" Madison added, following her sister.

"…Isn't the Green Magician supposed to go last?" Clare said to herself. She shrugged, then followed Madison.

Xander landed and approached the field. He watched at Fintan and Nick fought, and the earth shook violently beneath his feet as a warning. "This is the problem…" Xander muttered to himself. The others arrived and watched the scene with Xander. "I wish I knew what the problem was…" Xander replied.

Nick spotted the group and laughed. "Oh good…I don't have to look for any of you later."

Xander looked to the group. "Stay here."

"What?" Vida asked.

"I'm going to try…a little plan." Xander grinned.

"You're not going to…"

"Watch Plan Xander in effect." Xander said, grinning widely.

Xander walked forwards. "Nick! Is that you under there?"

Nick gave him an odd look, then growled. "Whoa now, easy there, Nick. I don't wanna fight you…"

"Well then you can stand there and die."

"Whoa, whoa!" Xander put up his hands in a defensive sort of stance. "What's this about dying? I don't even know what's going on!"

"Once I'm rid of all of you, I can go back to my own life…I'm sick of fighting your stupid war!"

"Nick…" Xander gave him a surprised look. "You…you hate fighting with us?" Xander looked as if he had just been punched in the stomach. "But…you were always the one to get us moving during the hard days…you loved what you did…you told us how happy you were…"

"Lying to you is so easy, isn't it, Xander?" Nick replied with a grin. "You're so naïve."

"I think you're just brainwashed, Nick."

"You? Thinking? Don't hurt yourself." Nick laughed.

Xander sighed. "Nick, please…listen to me…" Xander walked towards Nick. "You have never been unhappy. I should know…before Yuri, I was jealous of your happiness. I wanted to be excited to wake up in the morning like you did. Every day, I heard you moving about, ready to start the day…Nick, I know that you miss the life you had, but you've never been unhappy about it until now. We were there for you when Sylvie died, and we were sad for you, but you pulled yourself up. Please Nick…fighting us won't give you anything." Xander finally stood face to face with Nick, his eyes misted over from old thoughts.

"You can't possibly understand what it's like to lose your entire life to some stupid fight you didn't even ask to be in!"

"My sister, my father, they fell to Infershia, too! My cousins, my aunt, several of my friends…my whole world was torn apart! I know how you feel, and then some!" Xander began to tear up. "We all gave something up for this…we're not trying to off each other over it!" He swallowed hard. "Chip gave his life for this 'stupid war'. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"He was dead already, he said it himself."

"No, he wasn't. He felt like I did…but all this…we both recovered from that…we found things to fight for…" Xander wiped his eyes. "You have something to fight for, too. If you don't fight, they'll follow you to the ends of the earth and kill you. You can't escape it, Nick. None of us can. This is our destiny. We were chosen to save this planet from the demons of Infershia, and we've done a good job of that." Xander smiled. "So…what do you say?"

Nick pushed forwards, and Xander gasped. "Nice try."

From the back, the blade forced blood through, staining the white robe. Madison gasped, and Vida's rage grew. "You bastard!" She shouted as Nick kicked Xander off his blade. Xander winced and grabbed his stomach, rolling on his back in pain. Nick smiled and raised his sword then drove it down, and Xander went limp.

Madison held Vida back. "What do you think you're doing?" Vida shouted.

"We can't help." Madison replied, crying. "There's nothing we can do."

"To hell with this!" Vida charged forwards, transforming and summoning her Battle Staff. "Xander, I'm coming!" Vida shouted.

She summoned up a gust of wind to blow Nick back a bit, and it gave her enough time to run to Xander's side. "Xander?" She shook him. "Xander, get up!" He didn't move. Vida stopped, then looked up. "You son of a BITCH!" She stood up. "The next funeral's yours! No more games!" Vida shouted as Nick began to recover from the blast.

The sky had grown black as a storm rolled in. A roll of thunder pierced the air as the freezing rain began to fall. Vida spun the top of her staff, sending out a wind gust filled with the freezing rain.

It slowly splashed off his armor but pushed him back, all of it turning into a giant cloud of smoke. Nick winced, but it didn't faze him all that much.

"There has to be a way…" Vida muttered. "…Oh!" She dropped out of transformation, then held her wand close. "Transit Lepido!"

A puff of pink smoke enveloped her, and Nick charged at her. A tiny wind picked up around her and Nick went straight through her. The pink smoke and wind funnel disappeared, leaving what looked like nothing left.

"Vida!" Madison shouted.

Nick looked around, confused. "Where…where did she go?" He looked around.

"Maddie…what's that behind Nick…?" Clare whispered in Madison's ear. Madison looked, then smiled.

Vida fluttered about behind Nick, happy that he couldn't see her. _This suit can't be completely solid_, she thought to herself as she flew around his neck. The rain made it hard for her to maneuver, but she continued on. She fluttered on down and she happily found what she was looking for. _Good…now for a surprise…_

She fluttered over towards Fintan while Nick continued to look around. He finally looked towards Fintan and spotted an anomaly. "A…butterfly…?" He muttered to himself. It then hit him. "A butterfly!" He growled and swung his sword, once again summoning up an arc of flame, and fired it off towards Vida.

Fintan got up quickly and prepared to attack. "Maaji Golu Majika!" He shouted, swinging his sword. A gust of super-heated crimson wind charged forwards, and Vida deftly dodged it. The wind smashed into the arc of fire and spun it about, both of them finally dissipating.

"Stay out of this, old man!" Nick shouted.

"Not as long as I can fight!" Fintan replied. Vida transformed back to normal, then whispered against Fintan's helmet. "Good news." He replied. Vida transformed back into her Mystic Armor and summoned her Battle Staff.

Vida fired off a burst of wind, splashing the freezing rainwater all over Nick. He flinched, and by the time he looked back, they had both disappeared. "Hm…" He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He felt a wave of energy behind him, so he swung his sword to attack. He knocked Fintan off-guard and sent him flying back. The wind picked up behind Nick, and he turned around to see the giant tornado flying towards him. He didn't have the time to dodge, but then he felt a ripple of energy passing by him. "Hmph." He slammed his sword down at his side, and the tornado stopped mere inches in front of him.

Madison gasped as the pink cloud surrounded his sword, reforming the little pink butterfly back into Vida. Vida gasped and struggled to pull the sword out of her chest, but the effort was fruitless. She kicked about for a few seconds, then finally gave up and collapsed, her arms falling limply at her sides. Madison began to cry as Nick pulled the blade out, the blood rushing fast into Vida's white robe.

"Vida!" Fintan shouted as he slowly got up. "Oh Majiel…"

Nick felt a sudden blow to the back of his knee, the only weak part to his armor, and he spun about and crashed to the ground. Sorin, transformed once more. "I don't care anymore…you hurt my students, I hurt you." Sorin slammed his sword into the ground just an inch or so away from Nick's groin. "All aboard!" He shouted.

The sun shined down, laying down two thin rails of light right below Nick, parallel to Sorin's feet. He ran forwards, connecting with Nick's fauld, then ran across the rails.

The solar energy sparked up from the solar rails, burning at Nick's face and getting under the little exposed parts in his armor. Fintan slowly stood up and watched the scene, and Madison and Clare moved over to the trees.

A third rail appeared in the direct middle of the two other rails, and was indented. Sorin's sword slid into the indent, and he rocketed forwards, shooting up more sparks. The rails carried him forwards, and he skated forwards. The end of the rails curved up and over, aiming back to where they started. "Enjoying your ride on the Solar Express?" Sorin asked cruelly.

"I thought I was supposed to be the bad guy." Nick laughed.

"I didn't want to go here, but this is your final stop!" The third rail ended before the curve, and as soon as it let go, Sorin's arms shot up, pushing Nick up the curved track at severely fast speeds. Little solar energy brakes stopped Sorin, and he turned around to watch Nick get launched.

Nick was fired at the ground, and he bounced and rolled, stopping a few feet from Rootcore's back door. He strained to stand back up, but his body seized and he collapsed again. "It's…getting warm…" He muttered as he tried to once again get up.

"I didn't think I hit him that hard…" Sorin said to Fintan as he approached.

"It's not that…" Fintan replied. "Can't you feel it? The aura around him?"

"I can…that's why I'm not hesitating." Sorin replied.

"We can't afford to let him continue like this."

"Right."

"We'll help." Madison said, wiping her eyes as she approached Sorin. Clare held her free hand with both of her hands, trying to comfort poor Madison.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Nick or not, if he wants a fight, we fight."

"Sadly, it's the truth." Clare added. "Whatever is wrong with him…we want to help…even if we have to fight him to do it."

"Then let us continue." Fintan replied, drawing up his sword. "By the way…Sorin, how did you know about his knees?"

"I watched Vida flutter around the back of his kneecaps…I knew there had to be something about that."

"Are we going to charge him now?" Madison asked, transformed and spinning her trident around in her hands.

"We should." Fintan replied. "Hurry up, circle around…I have a plan."

Just as Nick got to his feet, Fintan broke the circle. "Now!" He shouted.

"Jijiru Gojika!" Madison shouted. The tips of her trident extended and the outer two prongs began to spin, as Vida's weapon was able to. "Jiruma Jinga Jijiru Majika! Hydra Spire!" The Mermaid crystal glowed and sent a several spirals of water up into her trident.

"Gojika Goludo! Ensnaring Aurora!" Clare shouted, and the light that shined through her Snow Crystal broke up and separated into seven beams of light which spiraled outwards, collecting the freezing rainwater and freezing it as it dragged along. The beams raced forward and wrapped around Nick, trapping him in a bind of ice and light. The ice began to steam a bit on his armor, and Nick struggled to get free.

"Maddie, any time now!" Clare shouted, struggling to keep Nick steady.

"Got it!" She swung her trident once it was completely engulfed in the rain, then pointed it forwards, causing the tridents to reverse the spin and fire the water spire outwards. "Take this!" Madison shouted as the individual spirals began to change into water drake sprites.

Nick summoned his sword, and used it to slice a few water drake sprites. The water drake sprites split in half and reformed. He slashed at a few more and the process repeated.

"I'm not sure how it works in your little human town, but here, you can't cut water." Madison taunted, firing off another round of water drake sprites.

Nick gave up and used his wide blade to block the rest that approached.

"Goludiiro Lujuna!" Both Sorin and Fintan said, and with a snap of their fingers a wide Saint Pentagram opened up and transported them away.

"Cowards. They don't deserve their magic…" Nick said. His left arm suddenly seized, and he dropped his sword and winced, allowing the rest of the water drake sprites to smash into him and create a huge cloud of steam.

Nick looked around, desperately trying to figure out what was going on, and he suddenly became short of breath. He coughed furiously, and it was interrupted by Sorin tackling him in the back of his knees. He fell forwards, and he was smacked viciously with Fintan's shield. He flipped over Sorin and landed on his stomach, and he coughed harder until his throat went dry. He rolled onto his back to guard the back of his knees.

"Is he…okay…?" Madison asked.

"He looks kinda bad…" Clare added.

"Ladies…" Fintan replied.

Nick began to cry silently from the pain as he clutched his chest. Madison walked over silently, and Clare followed her. "I think we've done enough…" Madison said to Sorin and Fintan.

"He's in a lot of pain…we should at least show him some sort of humanity." Clare replied.

Clare removed her helmet and knelt down beside Nick. "Nick…" She softly grabbed his hand, and Madison stood, waiting to assist her. "Nick…what's wrong? What hurts?"

"I'll…I'll be fine…" He winced.

"Nick, don't lie. I was nursing you back to health for two months…I know when you're ill and when you're not…" She brushed away his tears and smiled. The visor guarding his face shot back.

"I can't…feel a thing…"

Clare could feel his hand tightening around hers. "This is worse than before…this…isn't about what is around you…but what is within…"

"Everything is cold…"

"Nick, we can help you…we really can. I know that you're upset with us, and that everything is all welled up inside and it hurts…but we can help. It's still not too late. We can make everything warm and happy…just give us a chance…"

Nick tossed her hand away. "Give me back everything I lost…"

"Nick, things don't happen like that…"

"Chip did it! He got what he wanted! Why can't I?"

"Because you're not supposed to have those things! Why do you think you're dying?" Nick fell silent. "Sorry…that's not what I meant…"

"No, no…I get it…I'm being selfish…" Nick laughed.

"I didn't mean it like that…"

"No…I know what you meant…" Nick grinned.

"So…will you join us again?" Clare asked.

"Of course." Nick smiled widely. Clare smiled and hugged Nick tightly. "I'll give them the good news! You're going to be okay!"

Nick grinned widely and sat up as Clare ran over to Madison. Nick stood up and slowly slid a plate out of his fauld as Clare hugged Madison and cheered. Madison looked over at Nick and her eyes widened. Clare stared at Madison as she flailed.

"No!" Madison shouted, turning herself and Clare around and letting go to protect her chest from the oncoming projectile with her arms. The bladed fauld piece had been tossed with such force, that it shot through Madison's stomach, flew out her back, pierced Clare and continued on through her as well. The two fell on their backs, their faces contorted in agony.

Nick grinned. "Sure I'll join you all…in hell." He laughed as the two fell out of transformation and hit the ground.

Fintan and Sorin didn't have time to respond; the whole event happened in less than a few seconds, and all they could do was stare in horror as Nick laughed maliciously.

Nick began to cough as he laughed, but he continued on until the coughing completely stopped him from any sort of merriment. He grabbed his throat as it began to burn from the hoarse coughing.

"I'm going for it." Sorin said as he charged forwards. He suddenly leaped in the air as he came within ten feet of Nick. He extended his leg and jumpkicked Nick upside the head, sending him flying into Rootcore's wall. Nick bounced off and collapsed.

Nick tried to get up as he coughed harder, but his body just gave up trying to lift himself and his heavy armor. Nick howled as his insides began to flare with a burning pain. The Saint Armor began to practically melt away into little embers, the snow around him melting as he dropped to the ground.

"No, no no no no no…" Fintan shook his head as he ran towards Nick. His armor slowly faded away as he ran across the field.

"Nick, can you breathe?" Sorin asked, turning Nick onto his back as he slowly stopped coughing.

"Get…your hands…off of me…"

"No, I won't. You're still my student, my confused, crazed, and ailing student. I won't let anyone hurt any of my students again…even if that student is you." Sorin replied.

Nick began to softly cry. "I can't…I can't believe you…"

"Believe!" Sorin shouted in an upbeat tone. "We all care about you. Sometimes, like you, we can't quite show how we feel."

"I want to believe you…"

Sorin dropped out of transformation and smiled. "Break that pane of glass keeping you from us. There are no trick mirrors, only illusions in your mind making you think there's a barrier there. Please Nick…if we didn't care, would we worry about your condition?"

Fintan kneeled next to Nick. His Amulet began to warm up around his neck. "Nick…" Fintan frowned. "Please Nick, please…fighting us is only hurting you…I can take this pain away if you let me."

"…So many things could happen…" Nick said with a weak laugh and smile. Fintan smiled back.

"You don't know how much happier that made me feel." Fintan said. "Will you give me your hand?"

"Just go gentle…my insides are cooking…I think."

Fintan slowly let his right hand slide over towards Nick's hand, then quickly grasped it. Nick jolted and began to scream as the Amulet glowed brightly.

"It'll be okay, Nick…" Fintan said, pulling Nick closer to himself. "Just close your eyes…" He hugged Nick warmly as Nick began to calm down. "I know it hurts…I know it burns…but you'll feel better."

A pair of warm tears dripped onto Fintan's shoulder, followed by Nick's head. "I feel…better…" Nick closed his eyes and smiled, and then exhaled deeply.

Then no breaths followed. "Nick…?" Fintan asked, lightly patting Nick's back. He got no response. He let Nick go and his body snapped back. The little fire crystal around his neck sparkled ever so softly in the center, but then it faded. "Nick…?" Fintan panicked.

"Sir…?" Sorin asked as Fintan lied Nick down on the ground.

"I was wrong to think he…" Fintan sighed. "he…" He hung his head and began to cry. "He was too tired…I should have waited…"

Sorin stood up and nodded, knowing what he meant. He looked back at the carnage that had taken little less than a half hour to unfold. At the very end stood Udonna, white as the snow beneath her feet, covering her mouth in shock. Sorin walked over to her and sighed. The day couldn't have become any longer for him.

Midhat cackled as he watched the scene unfolding from the new mirror in his fan. "How fortunate I am! They're all gone! Every last one of those pesky Mahoutsukai! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" He then looked down to the crystals and gasped. "NO! NONONONONONO! That can't be!" He face took on a look of horror. "This beautiful symphony of bloodshed was all for naught?!" If he had any water left in his body, he would've cried at that very moment. "But…" He slowly turned back to the mirror in his fan. "it wasn't all for naught, now was it, Master…?" The pit glowed red. "Yes…yes…" He laughed, and a moment later a shockwave shot up his side. "Augh! Ah!" He dropped to his knees. "I will endure this…I must…"

Hastily put together before dusk, the other five coffins were set up near Chip's coffin in the Mysterian plains, all lined up in the appropriate Mahou Circle points; Madison and Nick to his sides, Xander and Vida across from him, and Clare in the middle.

"We are gathered here today, in the darkest hours of the darkest of lifetimes…" Lunajiel spoke solemnly from the center, in front of Clare's grave, facing Nick's. Snowjiel walked around, adorning the caskets with wreaths, icicles running from her eyes down to her cheeks, dripping and adorning the ground with tear-shaped icedrops.

Udonna stood at the top of the circle, in front of Nick's coffin. She pulled Sorin and Fintan closer and continued to cry, face pointed at the ground. Sorin and Fintan wrapped their arms over her shoulders, trying so desperately to comfort her.

"We'll need a miracle to fix all of this…" Sorin spoke.

"Terpsichore won't help any of us. She saved my life, but she won't save theirs." Fintan weakly smiled and looked away. "I always was her favorite nephew. Heh." His smile faded, then he looked back over at Sorin.

"Mother, then?" Sorin asked, turning his head to face Fintan.

Fintan looked over at him. "She forbids it, even in our case."

Sorin looked out to the circle of graves. "I see…" He looked down as Snowjiel passed, as did Fintan. Neither of them wanted to think of where they were, nor of the events of the day.

"…May they pass on and find peace in another life, in a world much like the places they dreamed to be…" Lunajiel finished. She looked out to the rising moon. "May we soon have peace, with or without them…"

Sorin and Fintan walked Udonna over to Sorin's carpet slowly, and Udonna looked up to the moon peaking over the horizon. She smiled weakly, then went back to crying.


	37. Dictum In Media Res

_And the night moved on, and everyone was sad. Udonna couldn't stop crying over all that was lost, and Fintan and Sorin just sat at the round table, sipping tea and thinking. What were they to do in this sort of situation? Sorin looked up; he remembered that this wasn't the first time this had happened, yet Fintan reminded him that it still hurt and there was still nothing they could do. The Xenotome's six Magicians of the Light were gone. There was nothing they could do. They couldn't bring them to life, because they didn't know how to in this case. Their souls had merely faded away, it seemed, and even if Fintan wanted to use dark magic to bring them back, without a soul, they couldn't be revived._

_Udonna just stood by the fire, endlessly stirring up a cauldron of…something or other. Fintan and Sorin weren't even sure if she was really cooking something or just standing there over the fire, stirring an empty cauldron. They just let her go._

_Suddenly, Sorin just began to cry. He pushed his tea aside, folded his arms on the table, and just plopped his head on his arms. Fintan knew what was wrong, he knew Sorin still missed everyone who had come before the six who were now gone, and the pain of losing six more was too much._

_Fintan sighed as Kiran rushed in and helped his master up to his room. Having to watch his best ex-squire and closest companion become reduced to a puddle of tears was agonizing. He found it hard to cry, though. He had lost the feeling of sorrow long ago, and while he desperately wanted it back, he felt weirdly comforted knowing that he seemed so stoic, that other people could look to him for comfort._

_Fintan sighed deeply and tried to think of how to move on. He walked over to Udonna and stared into the cauldron, it was nothing but water. He took her hands off the spoon and wrapped her arms around his neck. She just laid her head on his shoulder and cried as hard as she could. She missed Nick and Sylvie, and she hated that she had lost her little children to such a horrible tragedy. She had lost her foster children, Charlie and Clare, as well, and they had been the patches to the hole in her heart for so long…and now it was only her and Fintan. She knew that her children would grow up and leave, and that it would one day be just him and her, but this was not how she thought it would be._

_The front door to Rootcore opened, and Fintan and Udonna looked over…_

"We got the bad news just a few minutes ago, sir…" Bridget said, holding her Lion Staff horizontally in front of her as she walked in. "we are not going to leave this place, our old home, open to attack." Conway and Taliesin walked up and stood to her right, Oliver and Esin stood to her left.

"…You're…alive…?" Udonna's eyes lit up.

"No, no, you being alive is much more shocking." Oliver joked.

Udonna ran over and hugged them all. "We all thought you-"

"Yeah, yeah, that we croaked." Conway replied, patting Udonna on the back and she bear hugged him.

She looked at them all. "Where have you all been?"

"You know how Majiel is…" Esin said.

"'Do not interrupt with the way things are on the surface unless it is absolutely necessary.'" Taliesin added, speaking like a textbook.

"Majiel…?" Fintan seemed confused. "Are you saying…?"

Bridget smiled. "Yes. Yes, we got rewards for our sacrifices."

"We got a promotion!" Esin shouted, squealing.

"Well, what she exclaimed." Bridget replied.

"Bridget-"

"That's Flajiel to you, missy." Taliesin said, pointing at Udonna.

"She's our friend. No need for formalities!" Bridget replied.

"That's wonderful to hear!" Fintan said, walking over to them. "It's unfortunate that Majiel kept you back for so long…"

"Oh, we butted in a few times…but the kids did a great deal of the work." Oliver commented.

"We regret losing our new little friends…but there was nothing we could do. The Mahou Precepts are our laws, and they will not let us interfere, even in these sorts of things." Conway sadly added.

Esin noticed that all of the crystal-adorned gifts that had been given to the Magicians were sitting on the round table. "Oh…why are those here?"

The rest of the Marauders, Fintan, and Udonna looked over at the table. Conway walked over to the table and almost hovered over the items like they were glass-encased inside a museum.

"The Archer Brace, the Nature Brace, the Fishtear Anklet, the Feathersquall Anklet, the Fire Charmer, and the Ice Clips…they're all here…" Conway said, examining them all. He looked over at Fintan. "Why are these not with their appropriate bodies?"

"Why did you take our gifts to them away?" Esin added.

"I…I wanted to put them someplace safe in here…"

"They were safe in the graves." Conway replied, sounding a bit upset.

"Hardly. I wanted to bring them here so that we'd know if somebody like Midhat decided to come and take them."

"They were gifts from us…that's the point." Conway said, quite irritated. The rest of the Marauders got the hint and ran upstairs. Udonna was unsure as to what was going on and followed the Marauders up.

"So…any reason for your insisting, old friend?" Fintan asked his silent friend.

Sorin ran downstairs, smiling. "Conway!" He hugged Conway. "I should've known that the kids weren't losing their minds when they mentioned you!"

"Yes, we're here…" Conway replied, patting Sorin's back, then slowly and gently pulling him away.

"So, do you mind explaining?" Fintan asked.

"Explaining what?" Sorin asked.

Conway looked down. "I thought that they would protect these well…but you foiled it." Conway sighed. "What's lost is lost…best to keep them here anyways."

A silence fell in the room as Conway stood over the artifacts, looking down at them.

"You knew, didn't you?" Fintan asked.

Conway gently tapped the ground with the bottom of his Lion Staff, keeping silent.

"You knew this would happen." Fintan continued.

"Seeing into the future is something granted to few…it's Chronojiel's cruel curse upon us." Conway replied softly.

"Why…why didn't you let us know? We could have prevented this!"

"That would be interfering." Conway's tone was soft and dark, like a black silk sheet.

"You interfered before! You attacked Wolzard and saved Lunajiel!"

"It was necessary to do so. The children were fighting Branken…somebody had to keep the rest of Infershia sealed and Lunajiel alive. We did so because there was no alternative, same as now."

"So you let the little humans die, but not the rest of us?" Sorin shouted.

"It's the same as it's always been…to keep Infershia locked below the surface…to prevent Enma from rising…even if not all of us survive. It's been that way for ages. I haven't been alive much more than a few decades, and even I know that." Conway replied, looking over at Sorin. "Humans are, and always have been, considered lower than Saints. I'm a lower Saint…I matter less than you do…but you matter less than him-" He pointed to Fintan. "so if it came between you and him, they'd gladly give you up."

"That is why she gave me this…" Fintan looked down to his personal wand.

Conway looked over at Fintan. "Conall wasn't worth you."

Fintan looked up and glared. "Conall was worth more than you, though, wasn't he?"

"When things were different, yes."

"Then why do we fight to save this Earth when the most sentient beings on it aren't worth our time saving?" Sorin asked.

"That's not something I can answer."

"Well, you have all the other answers!"

"Just because you other General Saints are above us, doesn't mean you can be rude and demanding of us to give you things we can't." Conway harshly replied, finally breaking through his soft tone. He, however, dropped back down to it. "Majiel has her rules, and I do not ques-" Conway suddenly went silent, and his head jerked back.

"Well, that shut him up." Sorin joked.

"This isn't any laughing matter. Leave him alone."

Conway teetered a bit, and Sorin got concerned. "He's gonna fall backwards…"

"Leave him be!" Fintan ordered. He began to fall back, and Sorin leaped to catch him.

His hands connected, and his eyes flooded with light…

_Red ribbons flooded the shattered structures of the street and its buildings, fires and the blackened sky…a sword clattering on the broken cobblestone as he looked to the sky, red filling his vision…the hidden sun screaming down…_

"I told you to leave him alone." Fintan said. Sorin blinked, and Fintan was standing over him; they had both crashed to the ground.

"I saw fires and destruction and-"

"Shut it." Fintan said, frowning. "Go upstairs."

Sorin got up and walked upstairs. Esin quietly and meekly shuffled down the stairs as Fintan leaned over Conway.

"Is it another one of his…episodes?" Esin asked.

"Sorin might've seen a bit of it, too." Fintan replied. "He was talking about fire and such."

"…Should I check and see if-"

"I will…" Fintan ever so slowly grabbed Conway's shoulder…

_The black sky above began to rain thick red ropes, a silent laughter filled the air as buildings fell apart around him…_

"_This is how we left off, isn't it…?" The voice whispered. "We dance into Oblivion, you and I…dance until the moon stains red…"_

_Fires erupted from abandoned and crumbling homes as the red ropes descended…_

Fintan let go. "He's still seeing things…"

"I see." Esin said. "I'll get his bed blanket and pillow for him…"

"No need, we've got a few down here." Fintan replied.

Esin sighed and watched Fintan grab the pillow and blanket from the couch in front of the fire. He then properly took care of Conway.

"…The girl in my room….she liked birds." Esin said meekly. "I wish I could've talked to her…"

"Vida was very tough, though. She might've been too much like…like Tallie…or Bridget…for you." Fintan replied, slowly sliding the pillow underneath Conway's head.

"Oh, like Bridget…" Esin meekly replied. "well, anybody who likes birds can't be a bad person. Birds are friendly and they sing happily…mean people can't appreciate things like that."

Tsubasa squawked from the corner. "Oh! A very big bird…" Esin said. She slowly walked up to him. "…Hi."

"His name's Tsubasa." Fintan said, looking over at her. "He belonged to the Yellow Magician."

"Tsubasa….'wing', right? Very nice…name…Mr. Tsubasa…hippogryph…bird-thing." She gently petted Tsubasa's head, and Tsubasa made a pleased sound as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the pampering. "So, Mr. Redhead was your trainer-owner-person? He seemed very nice…very quiet…very alone. You must have cheered him up, though…you're still a baby, aren't you?"

"He used to be a Pink Magician." Fintan said, walking over to Esin.

"I could tell. Very silent…like a gentle breeze…like me." She smiled. "Miss Pink Lady-Vida was very loud, like a squall. Very unlike the Silent Wind…"

"She used to be Yellow, if I remember correctly."

"Loud like thunder galloping overhead…yupyup. Very Yellow." Esin giggled. She began to softly sing. "The water, sings beautifully, the wind, silent eternally. Thunder, gallops in the sky, Fire's screams, heard from on high. The earth, its howls, they're heard for miles, the snow, and ice, it rings so clearly…" She smiled as Tsubasa began to coo along. "You like that song? I know another song you would like…"

"I'll leave you two be…" Fintan said softly, retreating to the couch by the fire.

"Long, long ago, once upon a time, on Earth there lived five Magicians…" Esin began to sing.

"Today, the decomposing body of a local man was found in the dump…authorities are trying to identify the man-" The small TV on Bridge's new desk started to fritz out as he nursed a headache. He had given up hope of getting back to his own time, so he picked up a position with the Silver Guardians doing what he did best: screening employees. It was tiring, boring, mind-numbing…but it was something to pass the time.

He yawned and changed the channel on the small TV as he adjusted the brim of his cap; he managed to get a basic Silver Guardians uniform, which was little less than a blue jumpsuit with a bit of protective gear and a pistol and a baseball cap. "I wonder how much this would be worth at home…?" Bridge muttered to himself, staring at the pistol on the desk.

A woman walked up wearing a Scientist uniform; her hair was roughly the color of an autumn leaf mildly decomposed; an almost brownish orange to contrast her soft blue eyes and milky toned skin. She smiled brightly as she walked up to Bridge's desk.

"Badge please."

"Oh…yes…um…it's in my bag…" She shuffled through her sidebag, pulling out a few various tools before revealing a laminated card. "Ah, here it is." She said with a smile, holding it up.

"Okay, need to give a quick over…" She handed him the badge.

He ran it through the small barcode scanner on his desk; it bleeped and a green light went off. "Here ya go miss…" He checked the name tag. 'Thorn, Marlonetta', it read. "…do you have any relatives nearby? Little brother, maybe?"

She blushed. "We're from up north…I'm surprised. Was he here?"

"I was in another town and I met a guy with the last name of Thorn…bright red hair…"

"It's good to hear that he's up to something these days…" Marlonetta smiled.

"Hey, out of my way, lady…" A voice jokingly said from behind her.

"John! You clod! I'm getting my card." Marlonetta poked the guy behind her.

"You still love me, right?" John stuck his tongue out at her.

"C'mon, you two!" The dark blonde wearing a Silver Guardians-style patrolling suit behind them said bitterly. "Some of us have to actually work around here."

"Oh, bite me, Greg." John replied. "Without me, you wouldn't have a job." Greg smiled and gave him a little salute in arrogance. "Now let us get scanned in so we can let you do your job."

John handed his card to Bridge, and Bridge scanned it. Green light. "Ready to go Mr…" He looked at the tag and smiled. "Mister Carson."

"Have a good day, kid. Don't let this jackoff here screw with ya." John slapped Greg on the back and put his arm around Marlonetta's shoulder.

"Did you remember to-"

"Call the babysitter? Yes, yes..." John sighed.

"God, those two are sickeningly weird." Greg said, handing Bridge his tag.

Bridge's morpher began to ring. "Damn…" He quickly scanned Greg's card, and it got the green light. "Here." He said, handing Greg back his card.

"Better get that phone," Greg said. "Never know if there's an opportunity on the other side."

Bridge went to grab his morpher when a voice squeaked out behind him. "HI GREG!" Stella unnaturally shrieked. Bridge dropped his morpher underneath the desk, and it continued to ring.

"Hey there."

"How're the kids?"

"My boy's rambunctious…always playing Patrol and Monsters with his sister…"

"Yeah…how're their grades?"

"Um…good."

"Good, good…"

"Catch ya later."

"Bye!" Stella's voice pierced like a saccharine stake as she waved and walked over to Bridge. "Fucking chronic liar. Doesn't give a shit about his kids." She muttered to Bridge as he grabbed his morpher.

"Hey, babe. Whatcha up to?"

"I see Sky's trying to call you…" Stella said. "I'll leave you to talk to him." Stella walked outside.

Bridge opened his morpher, and Sky's voice boomed out of it. "Bridge! Meet me in the park!"

"Geez, okay!" Bridge replied, closing the morpher and clocking out.

Stella and Bridge met up with Z, Syd, and Sky in the middle of the park several blocks away from where the Delta Building was being built.

"So…what's the rush?" Bridge asked. They found that they had all decided to blend in and wear the regulation rookie uniforms, even Sky.

"Guys, we could be going home." Sky said with a smile.

"But I was getting used to this place!" Bridge said.

"We're still on-duty, even here. We waited until we could go home, and now we can!" Sky replied.

"What's your proof, Sky?" Stella asked.

"Take a look." He looked to the street to his left. The others followed his stare and far away they could see the B Squad's jeep parallel parked on the street.

"Our jeep!" Syd shouted, running for it.

"The jeep!" Z added, following Syd.

"Yay!" Stella shouted, running for the jeep.

"No way…" Bridge said, walking towards the jeep.

"You bet." Sky replied, walking with him.

"WHEE!" Stella shouted, jumping into the backseat of the jeep. Z and Syd were content with hugging the jeep doors.

"Where did it come from?" Bridge asked.

"Well, you remember how our friends from Briarwood talked about all of those….god-like people who they worshipped?"

"Yeah, the Saints. What about them?"

"One of them's gonna send us home."

Bridge stopped and gave him a look. "…Really?"

"Yeah. She said we don't belong here, and it's been a little mishap she'd be happy to fix."

"She told you this?"

"Yeah!"

"C'mon, Sky…"

"Really!"

"Fine. I'll believe you." Bridge said.

"Get in the jeep. We're supposed to meet her at the place we arrived at."

"Okay…" Bridge jumped in the back of the jeep, and Sky pried Syd from the driver's side door and squeezed her in the back.

"Alright kids, it's road trip time. Keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the vehicle at all times, and remember, buckle up for safety!" Sky said with a smile as he revved up the engine and sped off.

An hour later they found themselves off road, in the forest that bordered the road leading to Briarwood. In a clearing, Sky spotted the woman he had met before.

Her hair was long and white, her face shielded by a thick grey veil coming down from her wide-brimmed bonnet. She stood holding a long grey staff, wearing a long grey dress, waiting.

Sky stopped the jeep and the five of them crawled out to meet the woman.

"Good to see you again, child." She said to Sky.

"So, we're going home?" Sky asked.

"Of course." She tapped the ground with her staff, changing her outfit to that of her Saint Armor, and changing the B Squad back into their uniforms. "So…are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure." Sky said, looking back at the group. "These guys are too."

Chronojiel stared at the group, then blinked. "I know that one of you is having doubts. I know my children well."

"I am." Bridge said, stepping forward. The rest of the group stared at him.

"What?" Sky asked.

"I have this sickening feeling that something is wrong…that we're leaving something important."

"Mmm, for the lack of ferocity you have, my child, you know when to speak up. Tell me…have you ever had this feeling before?"

"The week before Omni was completed…especially after he used me as a warning signal…" Bridge frowned, trying to fade out the thought.

"We're not leaving you here, Bridge, and we're not staying." Sky said.

"I just feel like this would be a mistake if we left now. What if something happens, with all the deaths going around lately? What if something bad happens? The Troobian signal's been pulsating badly lately…and you know that it's been pretty dormant ever since we got here."

"We're going, Bridge. These people can take care of themselves." Sky said. He then turned back to look at Chronojiel. "We're going."

"This is your choice? To leave?" Chronojiel asked. "Even though your fellow group member objects with good reason?"

"That's our final choice. 4-1, we win the majority."

"…I'm gonna stick with Bridge on this…" Stella said.

"Still 3-2." Sky said.

"I can't stand this place! There's no decent malls." Syd said.

"We have our own home to protect…we can't just act like futuristic rent-a-cops while our own home is torn apart by Troobians." Z added.

"So, 3-2. We're going."

"Sky!" Stella whined.

"Objectors to this can close their eyes while we're leaving." Sky said, sitting in the back. "Syd, you care to bring us home?"

"Of course!" She said happily as she took the driver's seat. Z took the passenger side, and Bridge and Stella sadly took the back. As soon as they sat down, they both punched Sky in the stomach.

"Assaulting a higher ranking officer, eh…?" He painfully muttered as he clutched his stomach.

Chronojiel opened up a wide blue time portal. "Drive through to your home, if that is what you wish." She said. Syd revved up the engine and drove into it, sending them back to their own time. Chronojiel walked away, leaving the portal open.

Down in Infershia, Midhat stood above the Spawning Grounds with all eyes peering up to him. Every Hideac, every demon, every low-level reject of the surface world stood in the pit, waiting for him to speak.

"My dear abominations, Madoushi generals-" Four armored Madoushi from the back stood up tall. "and general servants of our lord and master, Enma…today is our final day of condemnation to this veritable living hell!" The crowd cheered. "This is the dawning of a new age for the surface world! The humans and Mysterians will try to take us all down…and not all of us will be able to bask in the glory of a new tomorrow, but they will never destroy us all! Our master shall reawaken from the soul of the slain, and we shall destroy them all!" The armies of Hideacs thrust up their axes and shouted happily, some giving battle cries in Infershian.

"Death to the fools living in the Light!" One of the four generals shouted, raising his serpentine staff and releasing bolts of dark energy up into the air. Everybody else cheered.

"Now go! Divide into your troops and conjure up your plans of attack! We strike tomorrow…at dawn!" The troops cheered as Midhat walked back to the throne room.

He held his side and breathed a bit heavy as he walked to his throne. He leaned his head against the back of the throne and tried to mentally push the pain away. "Master…what am I to do…?"

You know what you must do… 

"He burned me…with a simple little trick…I can't repair the wound…it grows more painful by the day…"

_I have done all I can to fix this problem myself…you know that there is a way…but you are afraid…_

"I'm not sure if it is necessary…"

I think it is…I know that you would be glad with the results either way… 

Midhat thought for a moment, then hummed a tune of agreement. "Yes…yes, I see your point…I suppose that you are right…" He pointed his fan towards himself. "Megaro…Mezaara…Meru…Uuza…"


	38. The Galloping Kamikaze

It was eleven pm, New Year's Eve, and sitting grumpily at their posts were two Silver Guardian officers staring at monitors.

"How come we gotta be here on New Year's Eve?" The portly guard said to his partner that night.

Greg smiled. "Because we're the only ones trained to use the equipment the future tech guy installed…what was his name again?"

"That guy in green?"

"Yeah."

"Forgot his name…Brian? Blake? Some shit like that…it was one of those hippie names."

"Yeah…well, he was a damn good technical guy, I'll say that…" Greg smiled.

"Say, how're the kids? Are they up with mom tonight waiting to see the ball drop?"

The boy's usually not in bed yet, but the girl's probably sprawled out on the couch again, like she's just visiting." Greg laughed. "How's the wife?"

"Still pregnant…" The portly guard replied unenthusiastically.

"I see…it'll be fine…at least you're not having twins…she'd nearly eat you outta the house." Greg smiled.

Suddenly, the main computer beeped, and almost a split second later, the radar began to beep. "Huh?" Greg examined the radar, and to his shock, a large wave of inky black dots began showing up. "Steve, do you understand what all this is?"

"Well, the tech guy said that if little black dots show up, then it's those damn zombie things with the axes…but I've never seen dots as large as the ones in the back…"

"Go up to the tower…go see what's going on. I'll let Collins know about this…" Greg got on the radio.

Steve climbed up to the main tower and grabbed his infrared binoculars. He zoomed in on a mass of Hideacs and a silver-armored woman.

"Battle formations!" He heard the woman cry from afar.

"Oh shit…" He grabbed his radio. "Greg, Greg, there's those zombie things…and they're being led by some crazy armored lady…"

"Oh geez…" Greg said in a panicked tone.

"Fire!" The Madoushi General shouted, pointing at the Delta Building's tower.

"Shit!" Steve shouted. "They're firing! Hit the deck!"

Nearly a dozen Madoushi in the back sent dark fireballs flying at the tower and the building itself, smashing into the tower, knocking out the radar machine and disabling it in a shower of embers and sparks, blowing through the front doors of the building, and setting fire to the surrounding buildings.

Greg looked up from where he ducked and went into fetal position; where he had been sitting was now a pile of rubble, the radar machines were completely trashed and on fire. Blackish flames danced about as he got up and ran for Captain Collins' office.

"Fire at the movement!" The Madoushi general shouted, pointing the end of her bullwhip handle at Greg. The Madoushi pyromancers loaded up again, then fired at Greg.

However, trying to fire down a narrow hallway proved too hard for many, and most of their shots further damaged the building, and the few that made it down the hallway fell short. They did, however, ignite the carpet beneath Greg's feet, forcing him to run faster.

He quickly pulled a fire alarm as he passed it, waking up everyone in the barracks with a cold shower. Moans of irritation were heard from afar as Greg entered Captain Collins' room.

"What's going on?" Captain Collins asked.

"We're under attack, and there's a ton of them." Greg said in a severe tone.

Captain Collins turned on the city-wide emergency alarm, causing the populace to become confused. He grabbed his loudspeaker microphone and began to speak.

"Attention citizens of Tech City, this is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. Begin preparation for a code red assault immediately. I repeat, this is not a drill. We are under attack." Captain Collins hung up and began making his way for the barracks, with Greg not far behind him.

In Ravenwood, not a single Magician was celebrating. They had formed a giant congregation around the Portentum Tower, with Jenny in the center, holding her crystal ball, her rat familiar perched on her shoulder.

"They're coming closer…" Jenny whispered to her fiancé, who then spread it to the others. While the non-magic users began to celebrate the new year early, the Mahoutsukai of Ravenwood stood in silence around the hallowed tower, waiting to defend.

"It looks like they use black thunder…but the armored one uses fire…so remember to try and reinforce earth and water spells…" Jenny said quietly, the word spreading about to those in the back. "Watch out, though…make sure you know which is which… I want divisions that are neither Green nor Blue in the front right now, digging up the ground to build forts. I want them reinforced, too…now go."

Nearly half the group began to scatter as the orders filed through; it had become a race against the clock.

In the forest, a congregation had formed, and at its head stood Udonna. Representatives from every militia, tribe, town, and outlying group stood in Rootcore's back garden, all circled around a giant magically created 3-D map of Mysteria.

"Well, we know that they will be resting around near the grave site, because that is as far as the Hideacs can travel in an hour from the Madou Circle they will be coming from." A member of a Wind Scout group said as the others listened. "I infiltrated a Madoushi group yesterday who had this map drawn up-" He held up a piece of parchment with the general area of the plains drawn out. "and they plan on meeting the Hideacs there, then just making a long charge down into the valley, taking out every township and camp they can find…"

"Is there anything else you learned?" Udonna asked.

"Well, though the Madoushi joining the army are experts at using Dark gales, the general they're supposed to meet up with is General Hime Hioni, whom I believe, if I remember correctly, is a Fire Sorceress."

"Fire and wind…they want a truly Scorched Earth approach…" An elven swordsman spoke up.

"Anybody here a Water Mahoutsukai?" A Yellow Mahoutsukai asked.

"My team is trained to deal with brushfires." A local militia general spoke up.

"Good, tell them to make sure they're not rusty on their training." Udonna said. She then turned to Yuri and smiled. "Will we be getting any extra help?"

"It is a beautiful night…they will fill the skies in hunt of Madoushis." Yuri smiled.

"Tell them to watch out for any of the Galers that are coming this way…they won't hesitate to kill anything that's not in their group." The Wind Scout spoke up.

"Will do." Yuri then took off for her children's encampment.

"So we are engaging them…at the grave site…? Is it dishonorable to fight in a sacred place that honors the dead…?" A fairy perked up, flying almost directly into Udonna's face to ask.

"It was not our choice to meet here, it was theirs. Not only is the site the only way to go through the plains from the mountains and down to the towns with ease, but it is also a sacred place to us all. They picked this spot, most likely, because it would be the first landmark they'd have a chance to destroy…the last remnants of the Magicians of Legend. They will go there, and if we are not there to greet them, they will smash their coffins, desecrate our statues and funeral wreaths, and defile their corpses in and effort to crush what little hope we have left." Udonna began to cry as she looked around the room.

"I know not all of you have children, but some of you are children…but they are my children…I bore one of them out there and another who has passed in another time…they do not care about how you feel. They do not care if you and your children and your families suffer. They do not care about if you're an elf or a goblin, a troll or a halfling; pixies, sprites, and fairies are all nothing but little lightbugs that they swat around with their blades of war." She bit her lip and looked down.

"But they know we care…they know that Mysteria is still emotionally divided from the last war. They know, they care, that not all of us care to fight alongside the person next to them because of the times when we were all turned against each other by them. Our friends view us as divided, just like we do, and as our enemies do. They think that we will not help each other because we are emotionally and physically divided." Udonna then looked up.

"We can't let that mindset hold true now…because we will all lose everything we've spent the last two decades trying to build back up, and they will slaughter every last Mysterian on this planet. They won't there, either…they'll cross the mountains, burn and chop down every tree, kill every living thing on this planet, and if we don't stand up to them as one…because to them, you're not an elf, you're not a hunter, you're not a troll, you're not a fairy, you're not even Mysterian…you're nothing but an obstacle, and they'll kill you all equally."

Then, Phineas ran in, causing everybody to look at him. "Oh, hi everybody…"

"Hello, Phineas." Udonna said politely, slightly bowing and wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"Hope I'm not disturbing anything important…but I have some bad news…"

"What sort of news?" Udonna asked.

"Well, I was out fishing, and I caught this cute little blue fish, and I named him Carl…"

"Please get on with it, troblin." An elven ranger snapped at Phineas.

"Well, ya see, he told me that he was coming from the east and that he saw a bunch of those Madoushi guys about…85 miles away by this point…well, they're that far away, and they're traveling south to the grave site…very, very quickly."

"Then this is our time to make our decision. You can either stand united…or fall divided." Udonna said.

"We'll stand with your allies." The Yellow Mahoutsukai said. "The Galers destroyed our village yesterday…we won't let them do it to anybody else."

"We'll join your stakeout…" A hunter from the back said, baring his fangs in a wide smile as he adjusted his fur coat. "We're all kinda hungry for some black hearts, anyways."

"My bow is yours, Lady Udonna." The elven archer replied, genuflecting and bowing his head. "My people will fight to save the forests and the people who dwell within them."

"We will fight with our brethren…" The elven swordsman said, also bowing. "that is…that in death, we are all brethren…therefore my army and I will gladly call those who fight with us 'brothers'…"

"We won't let them hurt all the bunnies!" A group of pixies shouted. "Let us all protect the bunnies!"

"…How about…we all protect everything that everybody else has first…then we save the bunnies?" The Wind Scout asked.

"Okay! We're in!" The pixies said, raising their hands and smiling.

"We're in if the pixies are." The sprites said.

"The sprites need somebody to look out for them…" The fairies added in, smiling. "We'll be glad to watch their backs…and everyone else's…maybe do a few little enchantments here and there…" They giggled.

"Well, no bunny-lovin' pixie's gonna make us trolls look like grumps. We'll help too!" The troll in the back replied.

"Same with us!" The goblins replied.

"Hooray! This's gonna be an awesome battle of the ages!" Phineas shouted, taking a goblin and a troll to his sides and putting his arms around them. "Both of my peoples…together again…"

"Don't push it." They both to Phineas, and he promptly let go.

"Ehehe. Sorry there, pals…won't happen again…" Phineas then backed away out of the congregation.

"We'll all join you!" A halfling shouted from the back, prompting cheers from the group. Udonna smiled happily, almost as much as she smiled when she saw Fintan return with Nick by his side, both looking cheerful.

"Then hurry and rally your men and carve out a strategy…get together with similar teams and try to figure out something quick…then meet me in the center of the graves…hurry!" The group dispersed, and Udonna unsummoned the map as Yuri returned.

"So…how did it go, Udonna-sama?" Yuri asked.

"Much more wonderful than I ever imagined." She replied, wiping her eyes free from the tears of joy.

The Marauders stood firm in Briarwood's Town Center, along with Crystal, Sorin, and Fintan.

"They're coming…" Crystal said.

"The Howlers…Oliver, I think, would do best to stun them so that we can intervene." Conway spoke in an ethereal tone. He seemed to be gazing out into the beyond…

"Who's their general?" Esen asked.

"I see two of them…there's two generals…but we'll only see them one at a time…" Conway replied. "I see them both in yellow armor, though…both appear male…I guess we'll have to wait and see…"

"Hey, I see something at the ridge!" Taliesin called out.

"Here they come!" Bridget shouted. "Oliver, get ready."

"No need to tell me twice." Oliver said with a grin before adjusting his thin-rimmed lenses. Oliver felt slightly unnerved when he noticed that Conway had his eyes closed now, as if bracing, but he didn't worry about it.

Oliver began spinning his Lion Staff about, gathering power from the ground below him, as the Howlers and Hideacs advanced. In the middle, a Madoushi in a full suit of dark yellow armor rode in on a horse, which was also wearing a full suit of armor.

"A little vain, aren't we?" Oliver cried out to the general ahead of him.

"Look at the little pot calling the cauldron black!" The general laughed. "You think you, a mere mortal, can destroy an entire army on your own?"

"I'm no mortal." Oliver replied sternly.

"Attack!" The general called out, upset with the reply.

The front line of Howlers grinned and they all took the same sort of stance; standing straight up, their heads slightly bent, their right hands up to their faces, palms facing inwards.

"Meru Meru Mejira Zazzado!" They all shouted synchronously, their voices sounding like a battle cry. They turned their hands around and pushed their arms forwards, forcing the ground in front of them to turn black and shift forwards like a massive tsunami.

Oliver stopped gathering energy and slammed the Lion Head staff top against the ground, dispersing the kinetic energy and forcing his own wall of rock.

"Looks like somebody's wave can't cut it…" The general laughed.

Oliver's wave smashed through the middle of the Howlers's wave, breaking it to pieces underneath its speed, causing everything above Oliver's wave to fly into buildings and everything else to become consumed and join Oliver's wave.

"No way!" The Madoushi shouted as the wave came toppling down over the Howlers. A great deal of them were crushed under the wave, but many survived and joined the Hideac ranks. "Fine…if you're such a show-off, why don't you let your friends fight?" The general pulled out his sword and pointed it forwards. "Charge!"

"Goolu Golu Golu Goludiiro!" Fintan shouted, transforming into his Knight Armor.

"Goolu Golu Goludiiro!" Sorin shouted, transforming into his own Knight Armor.

Bridget, Oliver, Esen, and Taliesin stared at them in a mocking tone. "Knight Armor? Please." They slammed the bottoms of their staffs on the ground, and beneath them opened up four Saint Pentagrams. Beams of white light shot up and surrounded them for a few moments, then they dissipated, the quartet were immersed in amazing looking suits.

Bridget's skin had turned a deep red, her long braid had multiplied and set aflame, endlessly burning. Her skin was covered with pulsing jagged yellow lines that made her look almost like a molded magma statue. Semi-solid, yet tempered, titanium armor formed her gloves, boots, and mantle. A large panel of flames stood on her shoulders and chest, forming epaulets and neckguard.

Taliesin's armor was heavy and yellow; long jagged pieces formed his gauntlets, fauld, boots, greaves, and chestplate, and his helmet looked like an ancient knight's. Sorin recognized the outfit as being the one Chip had lying around that he would break out while training Tsubasa. As Taliesin stood in place with the moonlight shining down on him, every once in a while, he would suddenly disappear then reappear as he unconsciously refracted the light.

Oliver's body had changed entirely into a bark-like composition. His upper arms looked spindly in comparison to his enlarged forearms and legs, which looked literally like weather-worn treetrunks. Gone were his glasses, and seemingly substituted with pure iron epaulets, arm plates, and a pure iron fauld.

Esen stood at the end, her beautiful pink butterfly wings spread out behind her, decorated in shimmering panels which looked like stained glass. She wore a yellow and pink sleeveless bodysuit made of maraging steel and trimmed with lace. She brandished a pair of pink lace elbow-length gloves, and a pair of pink silk stockings with lace flower petal designs in them, with a pair of dainty pink Mary Janes completing the outfit.

Esen looked back at Crystal, who hadn't changed her look; she had opted to wear her snowy white babydoll dress with icy gloves and stockings with white leather knee high boots; the crown and barrettes that she normally wore were noticeably absent. "Crystal! Change into your armor!"

"…But this…is…my armor…" Crystal replied.

"Conway…?" Sorin called out. Conway still stood, his eyes closed, seeming to not be listening. "Okay then…stay there." Conway didn't move. "Good job."

Fintan had rushed out first to 'greet' the Howlers and Hideacs, sword blazing. "Fintan!" Sorin shouted, running to catch up with him. The other five Saints chased after Fintan as well.

"Meru Douza Zazare Zanga!" The Howlers summoned hunks of the fallen pavement into rock golems to supplement the army. The Hideacs shrieked, shaking their axes wildly as the Howlers then prepared the use the smaller stones as projectiles.

Esen summoned a long pink bullwhip to her hand and stopped running as a pair of golems marched towards her, several Hideacs aiding them.

"Oh, you big scary monsters! I'm so scared!" Esen said in a childish tone, pulling back in a fake fear. They sped up in delight, and she smiled as she began to spin the bullwhip above her head. "Oh no…I'll have to make you go away…" Her voice dropped to almost the deepness of Bridget's, which was very low and almost baritone.

She cracked the whip against the ground as they came within ten feet of her, releasing an invisible yet razor sharp arc of wind shooting forwards. The wave beheaded most of the Hideacs, but had little effect on the rough hides of the golems.

"Oh boy…" Esen said. Crystal ran beside her and summoned snow of the still-standing houses' roofs, focusing it into sharp blades. She then forced them to swiftly hack the golems apart, and as they smashed into vulnerable spots, the golems toppled over.

"That's how you do it." Crystal said.

"Oh! Okay!" Esen giggled.

"Meru Mee Zazare Mejira!" Small rocks and earthen debris flew overhead, raining down upon the Saints. Sorin avoided being hit, although he was the one with the heaviest armor. Fintan guarded himself with the shield. The rest of the Saints continued to walk forwards; Oliver opted to break out his labrys and swat the incoming rocks away with the flat edges like errant flies. He then pulled a long and sharp stick from his leg and hurled it like a javelin, impaling several Hideacs with it.

"I want some fun." Bridget said, summoning a long, flaming magma blade. "C'mon, you undead scumbags…Mama wants to play."

Bridget jumped into the center of a small group of Hideacs, shouting a battle cry as she swung her sword expertly, hacking apart several Hideacs and lighting their leather armor on fire. The Hideacs tried to strike her, but their swords melted into her skin, forming new patches of crude metal armor. "Having fun, scum? I know I am!" She shouted, headbutting one of the Hideacs who foolishly charged at her.

The Madoushi general grinned at the sight. "Wonderful…" He pointed his sword at Bridget. "Meezaara Meru Zazaado!" A black bolt shot down from the sky, perfectly locked onto Bridget, connecting with the melted axe pieces and her own armor, sending the shock through her entire body. She cried out in pain and dropped to the ground in a fetal position.

"Bridget!" Taliesin shouted. He then scowled at the general. "Let's see how you like it." He summoned his longbow, and aimed an arrow of light directly at the general's head. "Prepare to feel true lightning." He whispered as he let the arrow fly.

The arrow sent nerve-severing shocks through both the rider and horse, tossing the Madoushi general off his horse before the horse collapsed to the ground. The general went into a seizure as he hit the ground, the Hideacs and Howlers around him panicking slightly as they watched their leader slowly die.

"The price of vanity is high, the price of foolishness is life." Taliesin said, lowering his bow.

The Howlers howled in anger, then suddenly, as if the earth was merely personifying their rage, the ground quaked. In an instant, spikes of bedrock shot up around Taliesin, imprisoning him in a spiral rock cage. The spikes then shot inward, pinning him in place and mildly impaling him, even though his thick armor. Taliesin winced.

Fintan and Sorin began hacking their way through the Hideacs to get to the Howlers who had retreated to the back to avoid conflict.

"Give me your sword for a moment, Sorin." Fintan said.

"Sir, are you-"

"You can take a few hits. Just give me your sword."

Sorin gave Fintan his sword and became almost an instant target to the Hideacs. They began swinging their axes at him, their blades bouncing off his armor. "Ow, ow, ow, OW! That was my thigh! You wanker!" He punched a Hideac in the face, knocking it to the ground. A pair of Hideacs grabbed him by the cape and tossed him out of the crowd. He hit the ground facedown and bounced. "Ugh…my bouncing head…" He moaned.

Fintan held his own sword in his left hand, holding it a few inches above his head. He held Sorin's sword in his right hand, slightly away from his stomach. His shield sat patiently at his feet as he charged his energy.

"Golu Luludo Gonga Gojika!" He aimed the tips of his blades at a golem in the center of the fight, then swung. Two white-hot arcs of light shot away from Fintan, slicing through the troops like a hot knife through butter. Once they hit the golem, the pressure instantly compressed the rock, causing an explosion of dust particles and tons of debris, destroying the golem outright. The larger hunks of debris fell onto other golems, stunning them, and crushing small groups of Hideacs. Some managed to avoid the debris and continue their charge.

"They're not going to stop without a leader…how odd…" Esen commented as she flew over them to get at the Howlers. She dodged the flying rocks as she silently zipped over the Hideacs' heads. "They never fought without a leader before…not when we were Magicians…not when the Saints before us fought…this is curious…" She descended behind the Howlers and cracked her whip, sending up tiny wind spouts around them, ripping some of them to shreds. "Oh! You're so cute when you explode!" She said, cracking the whip and puréeing several more Howlers.

The remaining Howlers sneered, then summoned a giant pile of rocks, bricks, cobblestones, and destroyed golems to descend directly on top of her. She crashed to the ground and moaned. "Ow…pointy rocks…" She mumbled. She tried to blow them away, but her efforts were fruitless. "Guys…a little help here…OLLIE!"

"Trying!" Oliver replied as he tried to make his way through the swarm of Hideacs. "Gah, to hell with this." He stomped his feet on the ground, causing a tremor that knocked surrounding Hideacs to the ground. He then mowed through them with his labrys, then running forwards. "They trapped Esen back there!" He shouted to Fintan, who was close by.

"I'll join you in a second!" He shouted, hacking his way through the masses with both swords.

"Wait for me!" Crystal shouted, shooting bolts of frozen snow from the ground upwards, firing through Hideacs like little javelins as she tried to catch up with the boys.

Sorin pushed himself up, then headbutted the first Hideac in front of him, tossing the undead soldier into a few of his friends behind him. He then roundhoused the group into the ones behind them. "Hah! That I was done, didn't you?" Sorin mocked. "Not quite yet!"

He leaped into the crowd, stepping on the shoulders of one stunned Hideac, then flipped off and ran through the space in the crowd. He right hooked a Hideac trying to attack him, causing it to drop its axe. Sorin picked it up and grinned. "Aw, man…this's gonna be way too easy." He then roundhoused the stunned Hideac ten bodies deep into the crowd behind it.

"Get ready!" Sorin taunted, powering up the blade of the axe. He hoped it would retain the energy until his attack finished. "Goo Golu Lujuna Gojika! Prominence Wave!" The axe blade powered up and as Sorin swung the axe, a wave of solar energy flew out and smashed into dozens of Hideacs. He ran with the arc of light, letting the Hideacs close in behind him as the path opened up in front of him.

"Sorin! Catch!" Fintan tossed Sorin back his sword, and Sorin caught it with his free hand. He tossed the axe to the ground and continued onwards.

Taliesin began slowly wriggling his way out of the cage. He turned his head back and shouted. "Hey Conway! Wanna get me out of here?"

Conway slowly opened his eyes, still seeing his own little vision…

_The Lion Head Staff sunk deeper into the ocean…a ghostly woman floating closer…_

"I see you…don't worry…" Conway muttered to himself and the image in his head.

He smiled and kindly obliged. He transformed into his Saint Armor and quickly summoned his yari. His Saint Armor transformed him into a speedy land merman of sorts, turning his legs into a long mass of scales, almost like a naga's tail, with a fish fin at the end. His chest plate was almost as protruding as Bridget's, as he held reverence for the numerous women who had held his position for him. His skin had changed into a mass of blue scales, and his normally well-kept, slicked back curly black hair had become spiky and light blue, covering his eyes. Slippery metallic epaulets, hipguards, and gauntlets finished his Saint Armor off.

"Heed a little help?" Conway joked as he began smashing away at the rock.

Taliesin began helping Conway knock away enough of the rock to escape the cage. "About damn time, Fish Boy."

Conway frowned. "All I ever get is fish jokes…"

"Alright, Fish Boy, we'd better catch up…" Taliesin ran an arrow of lightning across the snowy ground, paralyzing the Hideacs it struck. "Alrighty, Fish Boy. Kabob those fuckers."

"Ordering me around isn't gonna make me go any faster!" Conway shouted as he swiftly slithered around, fatally impaling Hideacs and dropping them to the ground.

"There we go, Captain Gorton! Sidewind a little faster!" Taliesin said, firing an arrow into a Hideac's forehead.

"Another fish joke, and I impale you." Conway bitterly replied.

Oliver and Fintan happily took out the Howlers, while Sorin and Crystal unburied Esen.

"Ah, all those rocks…" Esen complained as they helped her to her feet. Bridget recovered and began wreaking havoc on the Hideacs that had gathered around her.

All seemed to be winding down…it was unusually quiet.

"I sense something coming, Fintan…" Sorin said, stabbing a Howler that ran at him.

"I do too…"

The Hideacs stopped fighting and retreated into the forest, giving the group time to tear into whomever got close.

Conway closed his eyes once more…

_The proud city, reduced to burnt out hollow brick and mortar shells housing dancing flames…the spirit floated forwards, blindfolded, yet still seeing its path…_

"It draws closer…" He muttered.

"Hm?" Taliesin asked, stabbing a passing Hideac with the top of his bow.

_In the untouched forest, the ghost wandered silently, looking for the Lion Head Staff that had fallen in his woods…he reached forwards…_

"It's almost midnight…we're nearly done…" Conway muttered as the Hideacs finished retreating. The few Howlers that remained ritualistically sacrificed themselves rather than surrender.

"Well, all's well that ends well." Sorin joked, kicking the last of the Howlers over on their back.

The eight began to walk back to the town center; it was then that they realized that Majiel's fountain had been shattered by the rock waves. Esen looked severely shocked, and Fintan embraced her to calm her down.

"When they return, the Briarwood denizens will repair it." Sorin reassured her.

"Mother won't be upset…will she?" Bridget asked, rubbing her still-sore shoulder.

"She shouldn't be…it not like it was done on purpose." Oliver replied.

Conway sighed, still letting his thoughts cross his mind…

_Briarwood, torn apart, on fire…a dragon laughed below him as the world seemed to fade in a wave of darkness…_

He shook his head.

"How are you holding up, Conway?" Sorin asked. "I know you hit your head hard…"

"I'll be fine…fine…" He nodded and held his forehead…

_The wind in the plains carried two long staffs along with the snow…two ghosts watch them fall…although blindfolded, they knew where they were…and the staffs would not fall forever…_

"Everything's elegantly lovely…"

A wave of darkness emanated from the forest, startling the Saints. Two sudden bolts of dark lightning shot out, knocking Sorin and Fintan to the other side of the Town Center, smashing into a few vacant houses. The six Warrior Saints looked up, unsure of what had just happened.

"Welcome, Raigel…" Conway muttered. The rest of the group looked at him.

"Well, at least I got a greeting, if somewhat inaccurate…" Midhat said, wearing his dragon-ish Saint Armor. "I suppose I'm wearing a corpse's dress, so it's easy to confuse me for what I used to be…"

"How pathetic!" Oliver replied.

"You're a mockery of our mother!" Bridget replied.

"You disgrace us with your appearance!" Taliesin added.

Midhat looked down at the freshly dead Howlers. "It's a pity. They could all still be here, fighting. They were fairly good on their practice run…"

"Why are you here instead of re-wrapping that ancient bath towel you call a crown back on your dusty head?" Taliesin mockingly said.

"Strong words, dear adversary…well, my student was an utter failure, but he seemed to stun dear sweet Bridget for a moment…" He grinned, making Bridget flinch. "I guess I have to cut my losses and come out here…you can't hire good help these days, and if you want to kill people properly, you just have to do it yourself!"

Oliver sat his labrys on his shoulder. "Well, if you want us, come and get us!"

"Keep it up, you overgrown log, and we'll be having a bonfire to bring in the new year!" Midhat said, pointing at Oliver.

"Bring it!" Bridget said, preparing her sword for combat.

"Charge!" Esen cried, and Bridget, Oliver, Crystal, and herself ran towards Midhat.

Taliesin stood back, preparing to fire an arrow when he noticed that Conway hadn't moved. "Oh, not again. What's your major malfunction?" Taliesin said, relaxing his bow.

Conway shook his head. "I'm waiting…"

"Waiting for what, the stars to fall out of the sky?" Taliesin asked.

"He'll be vulnerable at a point…I know it…just be prepared with the bow…" Conway said, closing his eyes.

"…Okay…just let me know when to fire, Fi-ugh…Funny Funny Fishstick Boy."

"Ha. Ha." Conway then stabbed Taliesin in the side, only to be mildly shocked.

"Ha. Ha." Taliesin replied in the same deadpanned tone.

"Ah, shut it and get ready." Conway griped as he slowly recovered from the shock.

Bridget had run up to Midhat first, sword swinging about in her grasp.

"Oh, come to me, my dear…" He teased, summoning his own sword. She leaped in the air, blade facing downwards in an attempt to crack his helmet open like a stubborn clam, but he stepped back and leaned away. Her blade merely ran across his chestplate, knocking a few of the scale tips off.

"Oh, playing hard to get, are we?" Midhat said in an unusual tone. Bridget sneered.

"You disgust me." She swung and he blocked. She moved forwards, leaning against her blade. "You destroyed so many lives for nothing but a big, dead, buried squid."

"Oh, but he's a merciful diety, Bridget…he's equal opportunity, so much as you just work for him and his world goal…" They began to try and push the other's sword away.

"Just because you didn't have a daddy doesn't mean you have to run and find the creepiest, slimiest, and most abhorrent thing on the planet to fill that void."

"Ah, I didn't need a daddy…unlike you…tell me, how did your daddy take it when they told him you croaked? I would've been there but Baby Sorin shut me up in a box."

"My father luckily passed on before that time."

"Ah, lovely. Such sorrow that you didn't give him a kiss goodbye…makes me quiver with joy."

"That's just your rusted black heart trying to work."

"I know what would get the heart to flutter…" He grabbed her by her cheeks. "Give ol' Taranis a kiss…"

Bridget inhaled quickly, then spit magma in his exposed face. The illusion of a human form beneath suddenly faded, replaced with his mummified self, which caught fired and, as the magma caved in part of his chin, a toxic cloud erupted into Bridget's face, knocking her back into a fit of coughs.

After the burned area melted away, Midhat quickly repaired himself, restoring the illusion once more. "See? The kiss would've been easier." He laughed.

Esen cracked her whip, sending out a gust of wind. "Oh, the little one wants to blow me…" He joked, pulling his fan off his sword, where it was serving as his pommel. "Sorry, I don't like'em short and childish!" He swung his fan at the wind gust and sent it flying back at Esen and kicking her up into the air.

Sorin tried to get up, but he was bound to the ground by a Madou Seal. "Dammit…of all the times to be feeling out of it…"

"He's cursed us to be disoriented…it will wear off in a few minutes..."

"The way they're fighting out there…there may not be a few minutes…" He looked up at the clock tower in the center of Briarwood; it was ten minutes until midnight.

Oliver and Crystal tried a joint tactic. Oliver summoned spikes of bedrock upwards around Midhat, trying to find weaknesses in the armor, while Crystal sent thick icicles raining down from the sky in the same manner. Midhat, in his heavy armor, merely rocked about from the impact, his tail knocking icicles and bedrock around it away.

Conway grinned. "Get ready to aim for his face…"

"Got it." Taliesin replied.

"Crystal, gimme some ice back here." Conway called out.

"Got it." A patch of ice leading from Conway to the entire field in front of Crystal appeared.

"Right…" Conway waited for the right shot to present itself; he prepared to charge forward.

A bedrock spear shot up and slammed into the ever-so-tiny part of Midhat's armor where it was split, opening it up for several more to shoot in under the armor. Several jammed into his wound, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Now!" Conway shouted, dashing forwards.

Taliesin fired the arrow, and it rocketed past Conway and struck Midhat in his throat, directly above his voicebox. His screams gurgled and he began to tip backwards.

Conway sped up across the slick ground, yari held horizontally and aimed at near-center. As Midhat's armored tail began to support his weight, Conway dragged the yari's blade across the ground, collecting melted water created by the friction, and reinforced the yari's razor-sharp edge.

In almost a split second, Conway shot past Midhat, lobbing the tail off with the reinforced yari blade, causing Midhat to completely topple over and land on top of his severed tail.

Taliesin ran over to inspect his shot. "Beautiful!" He said to himself.

Midhat began to gurgle and laugh as he pulled the arrow out of his throat. The wound began to slowly heal. "You…you all think…I'm finished…for removing this little dragon's tail?" He softly asked. His voice then deepened suddenly as he grabbed his fan. "I haven't even started…" He pointed his fan at Conway, then swung it towards the others, effectively lifting him up in the air and tossing him into the group. Esen finally fell from the sky and landed on top of the pile.

"…Ow, Tallie…your helmet's poking my butt." Esen complained.

"Think of my poor head with your big butt sitting on it, will ya?" Talesin replied.

"Enough out of all of you! Douza Zazare Megaro Zanga!" The six Saints levitated in the air, where Madou Seals greeted them, locking them in place. Conway once again had his eyes closed, seemingly unfazed by the move.

Midhat stood up, holding his fan in his left hand while holding his wound with his right. "It is almost midnight; the reign of humanity of nearly over…does anybody have anything to say…?" Midhat said, pointing his fan's blade tip around the elevated semi-circle.

"What do you hope to accomplish hanging us up like window ornaments?" Taliesin asked in a nasty tone.

"You shall be the grand awakeners of my master, foolish kin!" Midhat grinned.

"We won't reawaken your stupid overgrown calamari head!" Bridget replied, somewhat recovered from the dust.

"Oh, but you won't have a choice…" He pointed the tip of his fan at himself. "I imbued myself with enough energy to force you to do so…"

"At what cost?" Conway asked softly. "Is it worth the pain you've gone through to get here? Is it worth destroying everything you have been given over the millennia? Is it worth losing every ounce of self-worth, of self-dignity, of self?"

"I gladly give all I have for my master…you are all too scared to die for your great Mother Majiel. You'd all rather have a bunch of humans do your jobs for you."

_A shining field, a Lion Head staff calling out to the black robed ghost slowly approaching, a blindfold hiding the abundance of emptiness within…the emptiness pushing the ghost farther, the need to fill the void pushing it faster than it would have gone on its own…_

Conway grinned. "I do not fear death."

"You know that it is rude to not look at the person you're speaking to…"

Conway opened his eyes and dropped out of his Saint Armor willingly and back into his human form.

"I died for this before, and I would gladly go again…I was not the first Blue Magician and I won't be the last…"

_The ghastly maiden grabbed a hold of the sinking staff, becoming whole, her blindfold blowing away in a burst of aquatic energy…_

"You get rid of me, Mother will replace me like she has done so before…"

_From the fire, the Staff was removed, bringing the wandering ghost into focus. His blindfold burned away, and he looked upwards, knowing where he was to go…_

"Destroy us all and there will be even more waiting to step up…"

_The forest became alive with the sounds of life as the ghost reached out and seized the staff, becoming once more a part of it. He adjusted his new epaulets and removed his blindfold, sighing happily…_

"Destroy them and more will replace them…more and more people will decide to stand up against you and everyone else like you…"

_The maidens in the snow embraced the staffs they had been waiting for, then hugged each other and giggled while removing each other's blindfolds before running off…_

"Time will go on, and there will be more and more people valiant enough to stand up to you…you will not last forever…none of us will…"

_The light collected around the ghost and the Lion Staff he held, and a feeling of completion filled him as he spun the staff and looked south, knowing his life's mission didn't end with him…that there was much more to do…he began walking south…_

"You can hurt the innocent for only so long…mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, they will never rest. You will soon find that you're feeling the strain of your ego…you'll unravel until you're a pile of dust, forgotten, your sacrifices for nothing…"

"A young man once spoke like you…I was happy to shut his mouth for him."

"I understand what he meant…I speak his mind now that he is silenced…I have realized that nothing we do or say will change what you have planned…so take my words as less of a threat, and more of an omen. Your efforts are in vain. Your sacrifices will get you nowhere…he warned that you wouldn't see his end…I'm promising it."

Midhat laughed.

"Now you're delirious in your own lip service to your mother…you speak like you're Chronojiel herself!"

"I speak for her…I have always done so…I always knew you'd betray us…I knew you'd try to kill the children, which's why I told Udonna to hide them in the mortal realm, where I knew you'd never think to find them…and I know that it is almost midnight, and that my time is gone…I knew there was nothing we would do to change it…"

"So you're just going to surrender?"

Conway grinned. "I know that I'll be removing your master from existence…there's nothing I'd rather do than be a part of that."

"My master-"

"Won't last an hour on this earth!" Conway shouted. "You can only push a mother so far until she steps up to save her children, regardless." Conway smiled the first true smile he had ever smiled. His life had been spent seeing nothing but death and misery…but he ignored it now…there was no misery left to be had.

"Okay…I can focus…" Sorin said happily.

"As can I…" Fintan said. "Okay, on the count of three…one…two…THREE!"

"LUUMA LULUDO!" They shouted synchronously, breaking the seals that held them to the ground.

Sorin saw the scene in front of them and he screamed. "NO!" He quickly sprang up and began to run towards them.

"Stay back!" Fintan shouted, getting up.

Midhat laughed weakly as he waved his wand from one edge of the semi-circle to the other, making the Madou Seals glow like eerie neon blacklights. "Mee Mejira."

Six beams of black light shot through the sky through the Saints, searing through them, absorbing all the magic it could drain away. The six Saints cried out in unison as the lights devoured all they could. Sorin stopped running and braced himself until the screams stopped; he looked up just in time to watch the empty bodies of the Saints drop and disintegrate into nothing more than golden light confetti, falling down and disappearing completely. In the six Madou Seals sat six balls of light, waiting to be moved elsewhere. "Mejira." Midhat softly said, and the balls of light were spirited away down to Infershia by the Madou Seals, which disappeared once they no longer held anything.

Sorin, who normally managed to stay calm in tense situations, was shaking with an uncontainable rage. He wasn't sure exactly how to calm down, only what he was going to do. Without a thought, his legs sprinted towards Midhat, his sword in his hands. His twisted battle cry escaped his lips too late to warn Midhat of his charge, and he plunged the sword deep in his chest. Black viscous liquid spilled out of Midhat's chest, and the ex-Saint fell to his knees, wincing as Sorin pushed the sword farther in, popping it out through the back.

After a moment of passing shock, Midhat began to laugh, unnerving Sorin a bit. "You fool…" Midhat said softly, just barely loud enough for Sorin to hear. "You have sealed this world's fate…"

"What…?"

"I imbued myself with more power than I could've normally held…but I swore my soul to Enma if I were to perish…and now that they are one with him…my power is just enough…" He laughed, then began to cough and sputter.

Sorin's eyes widened, and he began to step away. An eerie red light seemed to emanate from the ground, enveloping Midhat within it as it spread out to form out a red Madou Circle.

"Sorin!" Fintan called out as he raced to grab him.

"What have I done…?" Sorin muttered to himself in shock. He then looked to Midhat. "What…have you done…?"

"To give everything of oneself to something you believe in is the one thing Majiel wanted to instill in us…I learned it…but I wouldn't give myself for her…so long have the people of Infershia been locked away from the sunlight…I won't let them suffer any longer…" He began to scream as the light from the red circle intensified.

A whispering voice seemed to rise up from below Midhat…one wouldn't have imagined to hear the voice above Midhat's screams, but as quiet as it was, the voice seemed to boom over all other sound.

_Mee Megaro Zanga Zazare._


	39. Interlude: The Revival

Deep below in the throne room of Infershia, the seven crystals shined brilliantly in their respective colors and shot light into the center of the room, cracking the seal that had kept the underworld deity Enma from rising up into the surface world. The remains of Enma released the still-living soul of the demon and flowed up through the cracks like a noxious gas and floated up into the red Madou Circle, teleporting away to the surface.

Up in Magitopia, Arch Saint Majiel stood in her grand hallway, staring at the lifeless bodies of her six children which she had salvaged in vain. She felt that it was an occasion to cry, but the tears would not come. She had never felt the urge to scream more than this very moment.

She had lost her children repeatedly over the millennia, and this pain had become numb to her over time. The joy she felt watched life on the surface world had managed to make her forget this sort of pain that came with losing her children.

She deeply sighed and sat on her throne.

Down on the surface, the gaseous soul of Enma surged upwards, permeating through the cuts and wounds in Midhat's body. Midhat winced as Sorin and Fintan watched onwards, removing their helmets for a better sight of the scene.

Sorin's face was contorted in a look of horror, knowing that he caused the catastrophe in front of him, and trying to not think of what was going on. Fintan's face reflected only a look of slight worry, wondering how they were going to handle the situation alone.

"Oh Majiel…" Sorin said, his voice strained from the lump in his throat. "What…what have I caused…?"

"You had nothing to do with it…" Fintan shook his head and placed his hand upon Sorin's shoulder.

"No!" He pushed Fintan's hand away and turned around. "This is my fault!"

"You didn't know!"

"I should have fought him before! Charlie would've been spared…I might've won…I let him try to be the hero, and it was my fault!"

"Sorin…" Fintan looked concerned. "Charlie's death isn't your fault…that's something you shouldn't worry about…in fact, you should be thinking about how we're going to handle the situation at hand."

"I screwed this all up…I'm going to try and fix it before it's too late." Sorin ran for Midhat.

"Sorin!" Fintan called out, dropping his helmet and grabbing his shield.

Meanwhile in Magitopia, as Majiel mourned for the loss of the Marauders, the doors on the other side of the room opened. The doors were down a long corridor, and those standing there seemed to be as small as mice usually; but however, this visitor seemed almost human-sized, she knew it could only be one person.

"Dear sister…" Majiel called out, standing up.

Chronojiel teleported across the wide room to greet her sister and fellow Arch Saint.

"I heard about your children, the dear Marauders…" Chronojiel spoke. "Come, let us drop down…being my given height is…so detatching from the world and reality itself around me."

Chronojiel and Majiel shrunk down from their titanic heights and down to the size of regular human women. Chronojiel sighed and embraced Majiel warmly.

"I know it's not a horrible thing that they're gone…I've had many children, like you…but it still hurts…" Majiel said, leaning her head on Chronojiel's shoulder.

"My dear sister, I have six billion children, and their ranks change everyday…people sitting out, people running in, people trying to steal chairs, people trying to give their seats away…it's hard…and you can't get attached…but I know you only have nine children at a time, and you only now have two…"

"Three."

"Three? Did I miscount again? I'm sorry…" Chronojiel sighed and patted Majiel's back.

"It's okay…it feels like I have none…" Majiel whimpered.

"There, there, cry if you must…"

"I don't know what to do…" Majiel sighed.

"I know!" Chronojiel smiled, pulling a large, leather-bound book from out of her long robe's pocket. "Let's read something."

"Is that…?"

"Yes, it is! You gave it to Fintan to take care of, and he can't even do that right! He just leave one of the keys to Infershia's gates just lying around a big, dingy, old tree!" Chronojiel's tone seemed too…perky. "Oh, and your lazy son bypassed my speaker and left these lying around, too!" Behind her, a small white marble pedestal stood a collection that made Majiel's eyes shimmer.

She looked between it and Chronojiel, then back and forth again. Chronojiel gave her a suggestive look, and Majiel bit her lip. Chronojiel made a suggestive noise, and Majiel gave her a weirded out look. Chronojiel grinned.

Down below, Sorin approached Midhat, who was quivering in a very visible pain, and took it upon himself to remove his sword. There was a surprise to come with it, as his hand not only pulled it out, but something within joined in and pushed it out. As his sword fully fell out, a long red tentacle jetted out of the wound. Sorin took a few steps back, unsure of what was going on. What was that, exactly? What was it doing there?

The tentacle seemed to 'look up' at Sorin, examining him as if unsure of what Sorin was. Sorin stepped back a bit more, which angered the tentacle. It shot forwards as if to strike him.

Sorin swung his sword, lobbing it in half, sending it flailing back inside of Midhat.

"Sorin…what's going on…?" The sky was too dark for him to be able to figure out what was going on, since it had become suddenly overcast.

"I'm not sure…"

Midhat's torso seemed to pulsate and ripple beneath the wrappings as his eyes turned a milky yellow. Long red claws, marbled with black from the absorption of what was left of Midhat's blood, began driving their way through the wrappings on his hands.

"I gladly…surrender…this broken shell…in hopes…that you shall make…better with it here…my master…" Midhat strained to choke out as the red tentacles began to burst out through his back. "Agh…it's a pity…that I won't get…to see you die…Sungel…"

Long red tentacles burst out from his back, tearing his purple robe to shreds and tossing it away. His head wrappings unraveled and began to reform, turning black and red.

The tentacles surged towards Sorin at breakneck speed, causing the Solar Knight to have to react quickly. He readied his sword and began to block and slice away the incoming tentacles.

"Dammit…" Sorin grunted as he continued backing away and slicing. Midhat seemed to find it all humorous, and he grinned sickeningly, revealing creeping mandibles beneath his cheeks.

Several tentacles shot out and waited patiently as a wave behind it rocketed forwards. "Luludo Golu Gojika!" Sorin swung his sword, sending out a beam of solar energy and slicing through many of the tentacles.

"Sorin! Pull back!" Fintan shouted, pulling out his sword and preparing to defend himself. There was nothing he could hope to do at the moment but watch the horror unfold.

Suddenly, the preparing tentacles shot forward, and Sorin, who was still returning to his defensive stance, had no time to prepare a second attack.

The side tentacles wrapped around his throat, trying to strangle him to death. Another pair wrapped around his waist, trying to crush his hips. The final tentacle surged forwards, branching out into four sharp, webbed tendrils that burrowed deep within his armor and plunged into his flesh.

Sorin dropped his sword as he looked upwards the sky…it was then that he realized how much it all felt like déjà vu to him… "Agh…he knew…he knew that this was…the end…" Sorin muttered to himself as he began to black out from lack of oxygen and the pain.

The tendril-bearing tentacle began to draw in energy from Sorin, not caring if it contained magic or life essence. Sorin winced and struggled, trying to break free, but he was too tightly wrapped in the tentacles' grasp to escape. He struggled to breathe as he slowly slipped out of consciousness, and he went limp as the tendrils pulled out of his body.

The tendril-bearing tentacle slowly pulled away, the tendrils slowly closing around a bright light as it dropped Sorin's body to the ground. "More…energy…" Midhat whispered, his voice barely recognizable. Fintan gasped as he realized the situation, and that he was ill-prepared to deal with it. "More…power…" Midhat whispered, drawing the tentacle closer to his pulsating form.

As the tentacle pulled closer, Midhat opened his mouth, the mandibles pushing out through his face, ripping bandages and flesh in half. His teeth had become rows of razor sharp daggers, his face seemingly becoming less and less detailed. The bandages upon his head pointed at an angle parallel to his jaw line and sharply outwards, like a column of short spears.

The tendril-bearing tentacle came within ten feet of his face, and an arc of silver light flew past, severing the tendril basket of sort apart from the rest of the tentacle, releasing the ball of light. Silver strings shot out and grabbed hold of the light while Midhat was stunned, and a small amber gem sitting in the center of a silver crescent moon atop a tall white staff absorbed the light. Fintan looked up and panicked.

"Clarin! Run!" The last thing he needed was her death, which would raise the Gates of Infershia and cause even bigger problems than he already had. Clarin nodded, then disappeared in a Saint Pentacle, also transporting Sorin's body with her.

The red lights from the Madou Circle engulfed Midhat's warped shell, and the shattered Madoushi Priest looked upwards in glee. "The end…has come."

The red light grew brighter in intensity, and Midhat began to groan in sheer agony. The sound was unearthly, even un-Infershia-like; a sound such as the sound that erupted from Midhat's mouth had never been heard by any ear in existence. A bright black light shined from the center and was quickly broken into thousands of little photons and dragged deeper into the center.

A wave of Madou energy suddenly exploded around Midhat, sending out a pressurized wave of debris and energy. Fintan held his shield up and braced for impact. The gust of energy pushed him backwards, tiny pebbles and hunks of anatomical debris bounced of his shield, only to be kicked back up by the gust. Fintan tucked his head in closer, looking down at the ground to see if his helmet rolled by his feet. Luckily, the pointed tip of his shoe hooked it as it rolled by.

He was blown back to the edge of the fountain, so he quickly kicked his free foot back against what was left of the Majiel statue in an attempt to keep himself upright. The wind slowed down, and Fintan began to slowly look up. Above him towered a monstrosity.

The demon known as Enma stood nearly eight feet in height and less than ten feet away from him. Its head was long, featureless besides the dark yellow eyes and pointy chin, and an almost crimson shade; the top was adorned with red and black spikes nearly identical to Raigel's spikes, but pointing backward at an angle instead of straight up, windswept or slightly slicked back to an extent. Fintan remembered Enma having a much more bulbous head in their last encounter, but it was apparent that he had taken some of his favorite servant's choice armor pieces into consideration.

Its mouth was covered up by scraps of purple robe and bits of fraying cloth that seemed to be mystically bound together in an effort to keep the demon deity's massive mandibles tied down.

His torso and arms seemed to be slender, yet reinforced. The upper half of his torso was protected by twisted epaulets, bent and curved to conform to Enma's own shoulders and upper arms, as well as a small part of his chest. What used to be the scale armor on Raigel's armor had been reduced to nothing but crude spikes jutting out of his chest and around his joints. What used to be Raigel's long, animatronic tail had been split into a pair of metallic tentacles sitting above the end of his tailbone, waggling around as the tail had once done. Hundreds of tentacles surrounded Enma and Fintan, almost creating a border around the two. Enma flexed his long, clawed fingernails that were nearly six inches in length, bits of frayed cloth around his wrists dangling around joints.

Enma breathed heavily, his eyes twisted in a smile. Fintan looked up, giving a look of contempt at him. "Welcome back."

The clock tower's bell rang ominously; twelve lonely, solemn rings, and they were the twelve longest rings Fintan had ever heard.


	40. Surface Tension

"So this…is home?"

A black-haired woman stood in shock as her friend began to cry in horror, her blonde curls bouncing around as her chest hitched. She looked over and proceeded to pat her softly on her back. On the other side of the group, the shorthaired woman clung to the arm of her partner, who only stared outwards, taking in the view and biting his lip, wishing he had spoken up.

The tallest member, the only one who had managed to speak, stood in the middle of the group, staring out in astonishment and horror, the flames of the world before him dancing in his light blue eyes.

"I suppose this would be the wrong time to say 'I told you so'…but I told you so."

"Bridge, please…don't instigate."

Sky was paralyzed; everything he had worked for, everything he lived for, everything he had hoped to go home to…reduced to rubble.

"What…happened?" Sky asked Bridge as he turned around.

"We lost." A voice answered him, but it wasn't Bridge. Sky turned towards the location of the voice to see their old companion, the one who had left them earlier.

"You." Sky angrily said. "You did this."

"No. Nobody here caused this. Well, one thing did, but it wasn't us."

"Then what?" Sky asked.

"Enma." Bridge said, drawing the group's attention.

"Well, we have a scholar here." The traveler said with a smile. "Care to explain how you knew that?"

"Well, since the main chief of the group our friends were fighting's name was 'Enma', I just guessed. My only question is…how? Wasn't he supposed to be destroyed, his remains locked deep within the earth?"

"They were…but the seal was broken."

"Alright, Tsubasa, why don't you explain why we're not home then?" Sky snapped.

"Oh no, you figured out my name. You're such a psychic tough guy. Sit down and shut up and maybe I'll explain…if I'm feeling charitable." Tsubasa replied.

The group sat down, and Tsubasa pulled a flower out of his sleeve to cheer Syd up. She looked up and scowled. "Not what you want, huh?" He transmuted it into a handkerchief. "Take it. I don't like to see a beauty sad." Syd mildly blushed and took the handkerchief, blowing her nose and wiping her eyes with it. "Keep it." He said, moving back in front of the group and sitting down in front of them.

"Okay, care to explain?" Sky replied.

"Well, try to keep up, tough guy." Tsubasa replied, pulling out his wand and changing some of the dead earth below him into sand. He then drew a straight line. "Gather 'round so you can all see." They followed his command and he continued. "We all came from this point in time, January 2026-" a placed a dot at the end of the line. "and this future was devoid of Enma, devoid of Infershia…well, almost, but fairly close, and it was fairly peaceful. The 'wormhole', as you guys call it, led us to-" he drew a line from the dot to the other end of the line, then bore a bit of a hole in the sand. "October 13th, 2006. At this point, the plan to revive Enma had not happened. However, the plan did happen, and it was successful."

"So…what you're saying is…the reason why the world looks like this is because…Enma was revived?" Sky asked.

"Then why did we ever live in our world to start?" Z added.

The sky grew dark, and the ground was hard to see. Tsubasa opened his cloak and let Diya out, and Diya illuminated the ground. "Always handy to have a light sprite around." Tsubasa grinned. "Well, since you guys left AFTER the plan was set, you came to this 2026-" He drew a line beneath the other line, then connected a point slightly ahead of the 2006 mark down to the 2026 mark of the bottom line, then burrowed in the point. "which has changed because Enma is still here, and Infershia won."

"You didn't answer my question." Sky replied sharply.

"Alright then, smartass. I'll answer the question you used to rudely interrupt me with." Tsubasa snapped back. "We lived in our world because it was a result of Infershia losing. Since we left at a point where Enma was to eventually be revived and where Infershia wins, we came to this place instead."

"So the only way to return to our real home…" Bridge slowly began to realize.

"Is to go back and return when Infershia loses." Tsubasa finished off the sentence for Bridge with a smile.

"…She knew." Bridge said, looking back at the open portal.

"She warned, I presume." Tsubasa replied, giving Bridge a look.

"She knew that I knew." Bridge replied.

"Oh, you're the psychic! Right." Tsubasa smiled. "And he's just the asshole, okay." Sky glared.

"So we have to go back?" Stella asked.

"And hope to Majiel that they win." Tsubasa replied.

"Let's go!" Syd cried, standing up.

"I wanna go home!" Stella said, standing up and following Syd.

"Well, better there than here." Z said, shrugging and going towards the jeep.

"Sounds like a plan." Bridge replied, following Z.

Sky sat silently, not moving from his spot. Tsubasa sat and stared at him. "…So…when did you ever go green?" Tsubasa joked.

"…Huh?" Sky looked up.

"Oh, were you thinking?"

"What if it doesn't work? What if they still lose?"

"If you believe, then miracles will happen." Tsubasa said, slapping Sky's back as he got up.

"Believe in what?" Sky replied.

"Believe in magic. Believe in miracles. Believe in the will to survive that drives every living creature."

Sky smiled. "Sounds good to me." He got up and walked towards the jeep.

Bridge watched as Tsubasa walked away from them.

"Hey, wait!" Bridge said, running to catch up with him.

"Huh? Oh, hi." Tsubasa smiled weakly. "Need something?"

"You're…Chip's nephew, right?"

"You bet." He smiled. "Any reason for asking?"

"Well…I met a woman whose last name was Thorn…"

"Woman? Thorn? Hm…" Tsubasa thought. "Well, there is one other Thorn I can think of…Aunt Marlonetta…she's a lot older than Uncle Charlie…she left when Uncle Charlie was little…didn't wanna be in the family business, if I remember right about what he told me…"

"Aunt?"

"Yeah…she was my mom and uncle's older sister. Why do you ask?"

"…Just wondering, because I ran into her, and she just reminded me of him…"

"Really? I heard that she was scatterbrained…"

Bridge nervously laughed. "Anyways…" He scratched the back of his neck. "Aren't you gonna come with us?"

"Well, this isn't really my fight…"

"Yes it is! This is a fight for our world!" Bridge replied, holding his hands out.

Tsubasa frowned. "But…but…"

"No buts about it!" Bridge grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the jeep. He then pushed Z out of her seat and revved the engine. "Better buckle up…I'm driving!"

The sirens of Tech City rang through the forest, and were audible and ominous to the residents of Ravenwood. The Mahoutsukai went over their battle plans one last time as they felt the rumblings of the coming army under their feet.

"Here they come…"

The Gallopers rode in on demonic and undead horses, armor plated and lined with spikes and sticking out bones, some even waving around metal-plated whips and brandishing longbows.

"Mejira Zazaado!" The archer Gallopers shouted, charging up their arrows.

Jenny pointed forwards, her familiar squeaking in anticipation. "Soras! Counter!"

"Kaze Adala!" The Mahoutsukai shouted in the front, pointing their wands at the archer Gallopers. Bursts of wind shot into the no-man's land, hitting the ground and exploding into razor-sharp squalls dancing around the field, shredding whatever they hit to pieces. Archer Gallopers and Whip Gallopers alike fell with their horses underneath the tiny tornadoes the Soras threw out.

"Fall back!" The Earth Mahoutsukai general called out from far away, his voice projected over the field with a simple spell. The Gallopers then began to retreat.

Several groups of Mahoutsukai began to cheer, but Jenny whistled and got their attention. "It's not over yet! Don't let them retreat! Soras, continue the attack!"

"But you heard him! They're retreating!" A Sora shouted back to Jenny.

"They did this in the last war! They're feigning! Make them pay for it!" Jenny shouted back.

Over in Mysteria, Udonna sat behind Nick's grave, conjuring up a small snowstorm to mask the numbers of the troops that had gathered. The full moon shone brightly down on the field, even through the darkened clouds above.

"Miss Udonna…" An Elven swordsman said as he approached.

"Yes?"

"Everyone is here and accounted for…the Hunters just arrived…I think."

"You think?"

"Well, there's a small pack of big…furry…monster things…they're friendly and they're sniffing around the premises as if they are scouting."

Udonna smiled. "Oh, so they are here…good to hear. Any other news?"

"Well, a woman has come to see you…I told her to wait for a moment."

"Did she give her name?"

"She said that it was 'Clarin'."

"Let her over." Udonna said with a smile.

"As you wish." The swordsman left, and Clarin quickly scurried over to Udonna.

"Clarin, it's good to see you…" Udonna said happily.

"If only I could say the same…" Clarin replied, looking down.

"What's wrong?" Udonna asked. Her mind clicked at that moment. "Oh…does this have to do with the red lights over the horizon?"

"…Yes. I came to talk to you about that…"

"Is…is Fintan…" Udonna started to tear up.

"Oh, no…he is well. At least, when I left, he was doing splendidly, if only a bit on the rushed side."

"…Sorin?"

Clarin clutched her staff tightly. "He'll…he'll be fine soon. I promise."

"…What do you mean by that?"

"It's nothing to worry about."

"…Okay…" Udonna was worried by Clarin's statement. "How are the Marauders?"

Clarin looked down, and Udonna knew exactly what she was going to say. She held her hand over her mouth and began to sob. Clarin waited for a moment before continuing on. "Raigel was…on the field…and they were very valiant…they saved Briarwood and did a lot of damage to Raigel before he…he trapped them…" Clarin sighed. "Fintan didn't want me to interfere…and I had to watch this…" She teared up slightly, but she wiped her eyes and continued. "Conway…he knew his fate, as he always had…he was…unafraid…preaching haughtily, almost in a way that gave me a little glimmer of hope…he struck fear into Raigel, I could tell."

"What did he do?"

"He warned that…that Enma would not live more than an hour on the surface, even if Raigel were to succeed in his plans…that his actions would lead to Enma's destruction. I've always trusted Conway's comments in matters of future events…this time, I hope he was right…"

"…Enma has returned?" Udonna gasped. "That was the light…"

Clarin nodded. "The Marauders were killed, and their souls were taken to fuel Raigel's effort to raise Enma. Sorin, in a blind rage, stabbed and wounded Raigel fatally…but Raigel had a feeling it would happen, and he had cursed himself to become part of the effort as well…he gave his soul, and his body, willingly to Enma."

"So Fintan is out there alone…" Udonna replied.

"I will make sure that Sorin returns hastily." Clarin replied in a determined tone. "We just need everybody else on the surface to hang in there. Majiel and Chronojiel have been doing many things since they were sacrificed…I have a feeling that they're planning something. We need all of you to win…there can't be a defeat. Infershia needs to be held back for the time being." She placed her hand on Udonna's shoulder, and Udonna nodded and wiped her eyes.

"It will be done…for the Marauders. Let their sacrifices not be in vain." Udonna smiled.

"Thank you for renewing my confidence, old friend." Clarin replied. "I'm happy to see that so many types of people turned up to join you for this…I'm so proud!" Clarin hugged Udonna. "Even if you lose, it seems like you brought Mysteria a little bit of national pride that hasn't been had in decades."

"I feel a bit proud of that, myself." Udonna replied, sighing happily. "Well, go take care of Sorin, will you? Fintan will need all the help he can get."

"I'll give all of you some help later…tonight's sky would be a horrid thing to waste!" Clarin smiled as she stood up. "I hope I didn't damper your spirits…I just want you to know how everything is…but just keep strong…"

"I will. Please…go help Fintan."

"I will. Take care." Clarin then left.

The cold wind blew through the empty streets of Briarwood as Fintan flew through the air, having been tossed by Enma.

"This reunion is delightful!" Enma cheerfully said as Fintan crashed into a building. "I could have never dreamed of this being such an outing!"

Fintan shook his head, thankful that he had quickly put his helmet back on while airborne. He slowly got up and winced. "Well, I'm not having any fun…"

"What a shame…you should enjoy your coming demise!" Enma said, smiling again with his eyes.

"I doubt what you failed to do before will ever be accomplished." Fintan grinned and stood up.

"You dare insult me…" Tentacles from his back surged upwards in preparation to strike. "I hope you realize that I am entitled to the surface world as retribution for my millions of years of imprisonment beneath the surface by your great deity, Majiel…and that not even her champion warrior will keep me from having it!" Enma laughed as the tentacles surged forward, the tips branching out to form the webbed tendrils. "I'll send her your soulless body as proof!"

Fintan's eyes widened as he began to run.

The sirens picked up as Tech City citizens living near the Delta building began to run into the deeper parts of town. A pair of children, however, had other plans.

"You know, dad said you shouldn't be using this…" The little girl of the pair said, her long blonde hair sticking to her face as she sweat heavily from carrying the large antique bolt-action rifle.

"Don't worry, I know how to use it!" The blonde-haired boy replied harshly. "Just get into our hideout spot and we'll be okay!"

"Okay…" The girl frowned as they gently sat the gun's barrel to the ground and she opened the shed door.

Inside, their hideout was already occupied by a young brunette boy who wasn't much older than them, sitting behind a box of ammo, and rocking back and forth. He looked up to the pair and frowned.

"Hey you! Out of our hiding spot!" The boy shouted harshly.

"No! Let him stay! Maybe he could help us…" The girl said, walking over to him and putting her hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm scared." The brunette replied, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "There's a big, scary, red monster out there and my mommy doesn't believe me…it's gonna eat us and I'm scared!"

The girl looked back. "Did you see a scary red monster?"

"I didn't see one." The boy replied. "I think he's just lying so that he can stay in here."

"I'm not lying!" The brunette shouted back.

"Whatever, liar, liar, underwear on fire." The boy taunted.

"Stop it!" The girl shouted, her hair and blue nightgown swaying as she stood up in anger. "We have those fireball people and the brown monsters we saw on the news to fight! Daddy needs our help, so let's go upstairs and start helping!"

"Fine. You, kid, grab that box in front of you. You'll be my ammo boy. Sis, you'll help me set up and steady the gun. Agreed?"

Both the girl and the brunette nodded. The brunette grabbed the box of bullets and followed the two up the stairs.

The girl dropped back to talk to the brunette. "My brother is a meanie sometimes…don't feel bad because he's being a doodiehead."

"…Okay." The brunette meekly replied.

The two softly walked up together. "…I like your footie pajamas." The girl said, blushing. "They're cool."

"And your nightgown is shiny. It's like my mom's nightgown…except hers is brown."

"Thank you. My mom used to wear this when she was little."

"Alright, enough talk! We don't have time!" The blonde boy shouted.

"Blah, blah, blah. We're following you!" The girl replied. The boy huffed. "See? He's just grumpy because he had a red day at home."

"Ooooooh." The brunette replied.

"Mommy told him to put a knife down, and he didn't, and he nearly dropped it on my foot."

"It was an accident!" The boy replied.

"He had to go to timeout." The girl mockingly commented.

"Ooooooh." The brunette replied.

"Shut up!" The boy replied.

The unlikely trio arrived on the top floor, and the girl automatically began setting up a placement for the rifle behind a broken window.

"Set the bullets near that broken window." The boy said to the brunette.

"…Okay…" He softly set them down and retreated for the nearest chair and curled up into it.

"Okay, get the Lazy Susan, sis, and we can sit the barrel down and tie it to the Lazy Susan…" The boy was quickly calculating what to do.

"Okay, okay…slow down! I don't do this with dad, okay!" The girl replied, sighing as she ran around.

"That's cuz you're a girl, and girls should not operate heavy firearms." The little boy said in an official tone.

"Can I help?" The brunette asked, getting up from the chair.

"Yeah. Start stacking those crates behind the chair right to the end of the gun. If it's got leverage, sis can reload the gun for me instead of having to hold it…it'll speed up my shot time." The boy pulled a small box out of his robe pocket and opened it, revealing a metal sniper scope. He examined the lenses on both ends, then attached it to the top of the rifle gingerly.

"Found some heavy rope. Will that do?" The girl asked.

"Bring it over, sis." The boy replied, examining the gun's trigger carefully, then taking a proper stance with it.

An explosion rang out three buildings over, causing the brunette to jump. "Don't be afraid. You can't let these jerks make you scared." The boy said to him, and the brunette nodded. "You can't be afraid of monsters or bad people…they can make you so scared, that you'll give up…and you can't give up." He continued on, emboldening both his sister and their new acquaintance. "My dad's down there, and even though those guys are tough, he won't give up. We can't give up, either."

"Here." The girl set up a makeshift swiveling tripod so that the barrel of the gun just barely hung out the window. The brunette set up a stack of crates to provide support for the rifle's back end. The boy blew on his hands to warm them up, then leaned in to take his first shot. "Sis, load me up."

Down on the ground, the "Cinders", as the pyromaniacal Madoushi called themselves, prepared another volley of fireballs. The Madoushi general sneered and cracked her whip, sending out a squall to worsen the flames. The Cinders aimed their fireballs at the hiding Silver Guardian troops, setting fire to their barricades.

"Okay, are we all up into squads yet?" Greg asked a fellow Lieutenant.

"Yes sir!"

"Then we're gonna use defense formation Gamma…that's all we can do at this point…"

"Squad leaders, we're going into DF Gamma…prepare all units…" The Lieutenant called out over the radio as he headed back for his squad.

Groups scattered around the area, all while Cinders shot fireballs at them.

"What are these Faithless doing…?" The Madoushi General asked her second-in-command.

"It looks like…they're hiding." Her second-in-command replied. She smiled, then began to laugh.

"They're…hiding?" She asked.

"It appears so."

She laughed loudly, causing the Cinders to stop attacking and look back at her.

She held the end of her whip to her face, and began to speak. Her voice projected deep into the city, due to the Ventriloquistic enchantment placed on it. "You Faithless are pathetic! Running like mice off your sinking ship of a settlement! I can see why Majiel has forsaken you! You are nothing but a bunch of cowards, and we shall gladly put you all out of your misery!"

The boy glared out the window. "Did she…just call dad a coward?" A fire burned in the child's eyes as he viciously aimed his rifle for his first shot, almost knocking out his companions. As the Madoushi general laughed into her microphone, the boy fired off his first round, the sound ripping through the nearly silent night and startling all who heard it.

The bullet went through the handle of the whip and into the Madoushi general's arm, breaking the enchantment and sending the normally calm and reserved general into shock. She dropped her whip and grabbed her bullet wound. The feathers drooping down from her epaulet began to absorb the blood. "What…what was that?" She fearfully asked her second-in-command. There was no response, and she looked back. The bullet had gone through his throat, and he quickly slumped to the ground.

She looked forwards, at the group of shocked Cinders. "Burn this place to the ground. Don't leave a single building standing." She hissed. She then looked back to her army of Hideacs. "Slaughter those who run. Don't leave a single Faithless here to breathe Enma's air."

The entire army of Hideacs cheered with delight as they ran out towards the groups. The Cinders waited their turns and conjured up intense waves of fire from dark energy.

Back in Mysteria, General Hime Hioni grinned as her pet salamander marched her slowly towards the grave site alongside her Hideac troops.

"I feel so cold…would somebody mind handing over a few torches?" She asked the group. Several Hideacs passed their torches to her, and she happily increased the flames on them before attaching them to her salamander's saddle. "I should've worn more clothes…" She sighed, rubbing her leathery skin. It was changing color from a fiery, vibrant red, to a dull and lifeless grey.

A Hideac offered a pile of rags up to her, and she frowned. "Ew, no. I'd rather freeze." The Hideac shrugged and handed back all the hoods it had collected from its comrades while putting its own back on.

"Ugh, why did they have to bury their heroes up here in the Upper Plains? Were the Lower Plains not good enough for them or something? Did they just have to put their dead on ice? Great Enma, it's freezing up here! Why couldn't they get the Galer's leader to follow them?" Several Hideacs shrugged in response. "I mean, I should be down with my Cinders, burning that Terran town to the ground, not up here, turning into a Firecicle!" The Hideacs growled in agreement. "I know!" She sighed. "Well, whatever. I'll just set this place on fire and warm up that way…" She looked up to the sky. "Was it supposed to be snowing this much here…?" The Hideacs looked upwards, then shook their heads no. "I wonder why it's snowing so much…"

The Hideac army circled around her, hoping that their huddled formation would project a tiny bit of heat for her. They marched out into the wide open field, and an amalgam of scents hit Hime's nose. "Do I smell…elves…fairies…and trolls…in the same place…?" She adjusted her dragon leather vest's collar and adjusted her dragon leather belt and sword sheath. "Something isn't right, people…stand ready."

Udonna waved her wand slightly, dropping the veil of snow and giving the Elven Rangers in the trees and the Elven Archers around her the signal to attack.

A volley of arrows surged out from the coffins, striking out at the front line of Hideacs. Hime gasped. "Charge!" She shouted, summoning several fireballs from the torches around her and tossing them out into the crowd of Archers.

The Rangers leaped down from the trees and attacked the stragglers who were caught in the rush. Hime looked back and growled. "Hands off!" She fired off another round of fireballs, setting several of the Rangers aflame.

They tossed their long cloaks at Hime, who cheered with delight. "Ooh! Nice and toasty!" She smiled and waved. "Thank you!" One of the Rangers tossed a small dagger at her, catching her in the leg. "OW! BASTARD!" "She shot out more fireballs, causing the Rangers to use Hideacs as undead shields. "Oh no!" She gasped as she watched the Hideacs go up in flames. "Damn you!"

Meanwhile in Ravenwood, the Gallopers turned around, their general grinning. "Follow this wave." He called out to them. "Meru Mejira Zazaado!" He stamped his bare foot against the ground, sending a wave of rocks outwards.

"The Gallopers began to charge behind the massive wave, and the Mahoutsukai panicked.

"Umis! Counter!" Jenny shouted, pointing her wand forwards.

"Aqua Sparus!" Powerful jets of water shot out and smashed through the cracks in the wall, knocking rocks out of place and causing the top to crumble and kill the wave, exposing the Gallopers.

The Archer Gallopers, however, were prepared, and they fired volleys of arrows into the crowd of Mahoutsukai, downing several dozen of the brave fighters.

"Stay together!" Jenny shouted, helping some stunned Mahoutsukai to their feet.

The Whip Gallopers rode in closer, and Jenny smiled. "Give them the proper welcome!" She shouted. Several groups ran in front of her, ready to go.

Meanwhile, Clarin sighed as she walked through her dimension, carrying Sorin's lifeless body in her arms. The ground was littered with dark clouds rolling beneath an invisible plate, suspending the Saint of the Moon above them.

She walked through a seemingly out of place door which led to her personal chambers, and she laid Sorin's body down on her bed.

The stars twinkled above and around her, the moon shone brightly down upon his body, and Clarin sighed. She detached the amber crystal from her silver moon ornament, then placed it on her nightstand.

"First, to heal." She said, holding the decorated top of her staff above Sorin's body. "Luuma Goludo." A Saint Pentagram opened up beneath his body, and a silver light shone through his wounds, closing them up. She smiled. "Okay…then…oh, yes."

She thought of the spell for a moment, then smiled. "Ah, yes. Luuma Goludiiro Goludo." Sorin's body transformed into his Saint Armor form. The majority of the sun crystal that sat upon the brow of his helmet was missing. "There we go." She said, setting the amber crystal back where it usually sat. "Now, for the union. Luuma Luludo Gonga."

The broken edges of the crystal fused together, reforming Sorin's Sun Crystal. "Lujuna Goludo."

The crystal shone brightly, and the light spread through his armor, then sunk deep within. After a few moments, Sorin sprang up.

"Huh? Wha?" He felt his chest as he frantically looked around. "Where…am I?" He looked at his hands and realized he was in his Saint Armor. "Weird…"

"Welcome back, Sorin." Clarin said happily. Sorin looked over at her.

"Back? I've never been here before." He replied. "What's going on?"

"You're in my dimension, the Eternal Twilight."

"Why aren't I in Briarwood…?" He leaped to his feet. "I have to go help Fintan!" The leap was too much and he swayed, then collapsed.

"Okay, Hero Boy. You're going to need to recover before you go running out there." Clarin replied, helping him back onto her bed. "Relax for a few minutes, and when you're ready, you can go."

Sorin sighed and lied back on the pillows.

Down in Briarwood, Fintan hacked away at the fifth wave of tentacles to approach him. No matter how many he cut away, there were always more that were ready to strike.

"I'm getting nowhere…" He muttered to himself. He braced for the blow by holding up his shield and setting his sword flatways against it. "I have to try and destroy him once and for all…" He muttered. "Maaji Golu Jii Majika!" He shouted, summoning a pillar of crimson fire to surround his sword. "Blazing Storm Slash!" He swung his sword, letting loose a swirling torrent of crimson fire.

The tentacles got caught up in them, slicing and burning them away. As the wave reached Enma, however, he swatted the storm away with his hand as if it were a fly, leaving minimal scars and burns on his fingers. He laughed. "Like a meaningless attack would affect me."

Fintan stood his ground as Enma laughed and released a wave of tentacles, including the two armored ones. "Let's see you dodge them this time!" Enma laughed manically.

In Tech City, the Silver Guardians prepared their laser pistols and fired at will, knocking out the first wave of Hideacs.

"They…they're using light magic? But…how?" The Madoushi general muttered to herself. She grabbed the Cinder standing next to her levitating chariot. "How are they using light magic?" She screamed at her.

"I don't know! They must've made some sort of deal with Volgel or someth-" The general tossed the Cinder across the field, where she was struck by a beam and was out for the count.

"You!" She lifted another Cinder up by his throat. "What is going on?"

The Cinder choked a bit, but spoke. "Those look like man…made devices…that use energy to…create beams…of light…I've seen a Terran use…one before in place of their usual light balls, but they…weren't this powerful…they must have made them…stronger…"

"These pitiful Faithless are trying to fool me?" The general asked. The Cinder quickly nodded his head yes, and she dropped him and left him to cough and gasp for air. "Well, we'll just have to trick them back…" She grinned. "Get up! I have orders for you!" The Cinder got back to his feet.

General Hime sent more fireballs flying at the Elven Rangers, hoping to set them completely on fire as they retreated into the safety of the trees. "Fine…hide…" She set the trees on fire, boxing the Rangers in. She then set her sights on the field. "Now…where is their leader…?" She looked around for her equivalent, but found that the opposing troops seemed to be operating all on their own. "A trick…" She said to herself. "Where is your master?" She shouted out to the opposing army. "An army does not lead itself, not one like this!"

Udonna stood up from her spot behind Nick's grave. "Ah! Their leader! Wonderful!" She grinned and sent fireballs flying at Udonna.

"Nice try, but never tempt a Snow Sorceress in the winter." Udonna smiled, and with a wave of her wand, summoned a sudden blizzard which reduced the fireballs to nothing but sizzling wisps of smoke.

"Oh…that's where all the extra snow was coming from…cute!" Hime said, eying Udonna's wand. "I want one of those!"

"Huh?" Udonna said, dropping her guard. "You're the general?"

"Best believe it, toots!" She fired off another round of fireballs, and one of the trolls running past to block the Hideacs swatted them with his mallet and used the flaming hunk of wood to further damage the Hideacs. "Ugh, that is SO UNFAIR!" She whined.

"All's fair in war, little girl." Udonna replied, grinning.

"Fine then, you old hag, let's see how you handle war when I break a hip for ya!" She took out her kanabo and kicked her salamander. "Charge!" The beast growled and steamrolled through.

Udonna looked back and sighed, retreating to Clare's coffin. "Forgive me." She said, sliding the Snow Staff out from underneath the icy wreath. "Maagi Magi Majiiro!"

Udonna leaped into the air and through the white Mahou Circle she had opened, landing softly atop Nick's coffin in her Mystic Armor. Hime stopped her charge in shock, and the salamander reared up. She managed to, however, stay seated.

"Well, I'll be! The old hag's a genuine warrior!" She said to herself. "This'll be an even sweeter fight!" She grinned and restarted her charge.

Majiel and Chronojiel looked out to Sylvie, who looked pained.

"My dear, what's wrong?" Majiel asked.

"My mother…with no Saint to derive power from…I have to lend my energy to her…" Sylvie replied.

Chronojiel looked over to Majiel in an "I told you so" sort of manner. Majiel sighed. "Of course." She replied, opening the Xenotome. "Where is Lunajiel?"

"Tending to Sungel." Chronojiel replied.

"Tell her that I could use her help." Majiel said.

"Of course, dear sister." Chronojiel nodded her head and teleported to the Eternal Twilight.

"Majiine Majika!" Udonna fired large ice spears at Hime, who quickly melted the overgrown icicles and slammed her kanabo into Udonna's stomach and sent her flying over Nick's grave.

"Haha! Take that, you old hag!" Hime laughed, dark smoke billowing from her mouth as she looked up at the sky.

"I'll have you know that I'm not done yet!" Udonna quickly got to her feet and slammed the Snow Staff against the crown of Hime's skull.

"Ow!" She replied, rubbing the spot where Udonna hit her. Udonna struck a few more times, making Hime cry. "You're too good of a fighter for your age!" She whined as she swung at Udonna. "How do you stay so good?"

"Simple." Udonna said, blocking Hime's blow. "My husband was Wolzard."

"Oh, now you're just flat-out lying for approval." Hime replied, swinging again and knocking Udonna down.

"Maji Majiine Majika!" She fired a wave of snow at Hime as she got to her feet, but it was also quickly melted.

"Cut it out, old hag. You're wasting your time." She made a fake swing at Udonna, causing her to flinch. She then reversed the swing and smashed Udonna upside her head. "Wolzard, eh? Can't even recognize a simple fake swing!"

Udonna dropped out of transformation and lied down for a moment before getting back up slowly. "That's because he never needed cheap shots to be successful." She spat.

"Are you calling me cheap?" Hime shouted, raising her kanabo up above her head.

Meanwhile, in Ravenwood, the Terrans grinned and fired up their own wave of rocks and vines, ensnaring the horses' ankles and dragging them to the ground. The Whip Gallopers leaped off their horses, only to get caught up in the mass of vines and clobbered with stray pebbles and stones.

The Madoushi general growled and sent out another wave of stone, only to have the Umis counter once more. A group of Fire Mahoutsukais stood up and grinned.

"Pyro Maxima!" They set the vines on fire, trapping the Whip Gallopers. The Archer Gallopers fired more arrows into the crowds, with one almost hitting Jenny's familiar. The rat panicked and ran out into the field.

"No! Come back!" Jenny shouted, chasing after the rat.

The Archer Gallopers began aiming at Jenny, which caused the other Mahoutsukai to panic. "Take out the Archers!" An Umi cried out, causing the Soras to rise up.

"Ciclone Rosa!" Blasts of pink-tinted wind energy rushed around Jenny, knocking the arrows in all sorts of directions, particularly into the Gallopers themselves. Jenny chased her rat familiar around the field, hoping she'd catch up with the elusive creature.

The rat ran through the mass of vines and burning bodies and right to the general.

"C'mere, little mousie, mousie…" The general taunted.

"Stay away from my familiar!" Jenny shouted, conjuring up a flurry of snow from the ground and sending it spiraling into the Madoushi general's face. The rat familiar squeaked and ran back to Jenny. Jenny smiled as it curled up on the brim of her Terran Magician hat.

"You little bitch!" A Whip Galloper cracked his whip and caught Jenny around the throat with it. The rat squeaked a furious squeak, then ran down the length of the whip and bit the Galloper's hand. The Galloper yelped and let go of the whip, allowing Jenny to combat the incoming vines with a blast of ice.

"Take that, Madoushi!" She cried out, conjuring up sharp snowballs to fling them at the general, piercing through his simple fur armor and taking him out. Her rat familiar continued gnawing at the Whip Galloper until he passed out. "Good girl." Jenny smiled.

Back in Tech City, the Madoushi general grinned as the Cinders took their positions. "Remember my plan…" She cracked the whip, sending up plumes of snow and dropping visibility of the Cinders and herself to nothing.

Once the snow dropped, all that could be seen were the invading Hideacs.

The Silver Guardians blasted through the Hideacs with ease, then began to frantically figure out what happened to the rest of the invading force. "Sir…we can't find them…" Greg called up to Captain Collins.

"Well, try a little harder." He replied.

The boy in the warehouse quickly panicked. "I can't see them, sis…" He frantically said, trying to search around for them through the sniper scope.

The brunette took out a pocket telescope from a desk drawer and began helping his new friend out. He looked around carefully, and happily called out. "I found something!" He whispered.

"Huh?"

"Look over at the tree near the road out of town." He pointed. The boy moved his rifle and looked, and the brunette handed the telescope over to the girl.

"Oh! It's the buckle on one of those…Colonial-type shoes that they wore in Colonial America! Remember them from the book you have on the American History?" She asked her older brother.

"Yeah…I see it, too. I wonder what it's doing up in that tree…"

"I think they jumped up in the trees to hide." The brunette said.

"Well, I'll smoke'em out." The boy replied, aiming his shot. "Am I loaded up?"

"Ready to go."

The boy aimed for the glimmering shoe buckle and fired.

The Cinder grabbed his foot and yelped, giving away his position.

"Oh, they're up in the trees…" Greg whispered to his unit. "Aim for the treetops."

"Where did that come from?" The Madoushi general asked the Cinder next to her.

"I think I saw it originate from those buildings in the back…they're the only ones with that line of fire."

"Well then, torch them. Whomever is firing upon us from that position is important to them…why else would they hide them in a building?"

"I'll give the order." The Cinder replied.

The Silver Guardians began firing upon the trees, knocking several Cinders out of them before the rest jumped down in fright and shock. "Get them!" Greg shouted.

A voice called out over Greg's radio. "Greg! Greg, dammit, answer!" It was his wife.

"Hello? What's wrong, hun?"

"I sent the kids up to bed when the alarms sounded."

"And?"

"They're not in their rooms. In fact, they're not even in the house."

"You want me to send a gro-"

"They took the gun off the mantle, Greg." Her voice had gone from raving and hysterical to almost ominous. Greg looked up to where the shots had been fired.

"I know where they are, hun…once I can go get them, I'll get them." He replied.

The brunette began to panic and he backed away from the gun setup.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked.

"Is it the big scary red monster again?" The boy mocked, wiggling his fingers.

"I see fire…fire everywhere…" The brunette said, backing up against the wall. The girl walked towards him, slightly worried.

She grabbed his hand as she approached him. "Your hands are like ice…here…" She took her robe off and wrapped it around him. "You'll be nice and toasty soon…don't worry, my mommy can get me another one…"

Her older brother shook his head. "Scardey cat."

Half of the Cinders began backing up the Hideacs that remained, while the other half began aiming for buildings around the warehouse. An explosion rocked the warehouse as the building next to it's gas valve was nailed. The boy looked back at the brunette, and the girl huddled closer to him.

"They won't stop until they hit us…" The brunette whispered.

"Then I'll just have to get off as many shots as I can." The boy replied, loading the rifle on his own.

"They're firing in the warehouse district! Stop them!" Greg shouted to his fellow lieutenants.

"Greg, if you guys could keep an eye out for three missing kids-"

"Three now?" Greg asked the dispatcher.

"Yeah."

"My kids probably found the third one, with their luck…" Greg shook his head. "Tell them we're looking."

"Yes, sir."

"Man, what's going on…?" Greg said, shaking his head.

Meanwhile, Fintan dived into the nearest building as a beam of dark energy flew by him. The metallic tentacles, when they opened up, shot out rays of pure dark energy. The tentacles chased him around, firing off shots and setting the house on fire.

"Dammit…" He muttered, running into the hallway. He heard a familiar spinning sound and followed it down the hallway and into the kitchen. As the tentacle rushed in behind him, a beam of golden light stuck it, blowing off the tip of the tentacle and forcing the thing to slither back.

"You're alive…" Fintan said, embracing Sorin, who stood in his Knight Armor.

"Of course I am!" Sorin replied, laughing. "Let's get out of here…"

Lunajiel ran into Majiel's chambers as fast as she could; Chronojiel sounded urgent.

"What do you need, Mother Majiel?" Lunajiel asked as she stumbled in.

"We have need of your services. Would you please stand at the head of the Mahou Circle we drew out?"

"Not a problem, Mother Majiel." Lunajiel quickly bowed and took her place as Chronojiel walked in.

"Are you ready?" Chronojiel asked Lunajiel.

"Just tell me what to do."

"Just hold your staff up at an angle like we are…" Lunajiel followed their motions.

"Ready?" Chronojiel asked Majiel.

"Ready." She replied.

"Then, altogether…" Chronojiel grinned. The three knew exactly what to do.

"Golu Luludo Goludo Gonga!"

_At that moment, two beams of grey light; a light grey from Majiel, a dark grey from Chronojiel, struck Lunajiel's ornamental crescent piece. Majiel's beam finished the crescent, making it into a full moon, and both beams reflected downwards, enveloping the Mahou Circle. The combined lights exploded into a shower of white flower petals, and everything they touched glowed in a radiant white light. An open palm reached up and grabbed a soft white petal, drawing a smile across the faces of the trio._

Meanwhile, over in Tech City, the battle got fierce, as the Hideacs that once were with the Howlers came barreling in through the city gates.

"Can somebody please cover that gate?" A Lieutenant called out over the radio. "We're out of power over here…damn lasers wore out in the cold."

"We're almost out of power here." Another voice called out over the radio.

"Roger, same here."

"We have one guy who's at half power, and that's all we can send…"

"Dammit! What are we gonna-" A bright light opened up roughly thirty feet to the left of the Lieutenant. "what the-" Before he could fully respond, a white jeep sped out of the arc of light and crazily bobbed and weaved around the debris at breakneck speed.

"Bridge! For the love of god, stop driving!" Stella shouted.

"What crack addict gave you a Class Two license?" Z cried out from the back.

"Class Two? All I have is Class One for my bike!" Bridge replied back, suddenly fishtailing in the middle of the road leading into Tech City.

"And here I thought my uncle was a bad driver…" Tsubasa commented, holding his stomach.

"Alright! Everybody, prepare to engage!" Sky shouted, pulling out his standard laser and leaping out the side of the jeep.

"Whoever doesn't have motion sickness, move out!" Stella joked, following Sky.

"Where did you guys come from?" An officer asked Bridge.

"Oh, nowhere. But we're here to help." Bridge replied.

"Well, you guys came at the right time."

Bridge looked up to the still-operating clock nearby; it read 12:17 am. "Well, better late than never, I guess." Bridge laughed and jumped out of the jeep, his pistol ready to fire.

Enma cackled as he began smashing through buildings to get to Sorin and Fintan.

"You can't hide forever!" Enma joked, his voice straining to stay in its permanent whisper as he reveled in his destruction.

"Run through the alleyway!" Sorin shouted as he dodged a falling awning.

"Trying!" Fintan replied as he leaped over the awning while holding his shield over his head.

"Get back here, cowards!" Enma taunted.

"Did he just call me a coward?" Sorin growled.

"Don't even think about it, Sorin." Fintan snapped.

"I hate it when people do that!" Sorin replied, diving into a back alley.

"For the love of Mother, keep focused on saving your hide!" Fintan shouted.

"Doing that!" Sorin shouted.

Several tentacles shot out in front of them, causing Sorin to panic. "Ugh…this way!" He shouted, diving into a dark alley. He didn't realize it was a dead end, however, until it was too late to change his mind.

"Nice going, jackass." Fintan said, slapping Sorin upside his head.

"Ow! Sorry!" Sorin replied, grabbing the spot where Fintan slapped him.

"Fine…we'll just have to teleport and hope we escape." Fintan said, grabbing a hold of Sorin. "Luuma Lujuna." A Saint Pentagram opened up and drew them in before the tentacles bore themselves into the two knights.

They reappeared on the other side of town and stood up. "Wow, it's awfully quiet here…" Sorin said, standing up and brushing himself off.

"Almost too quiet…" Fintan replied, mimicking his inferior's moves.

Sorin turned around and panicked. "…Fuck."

"Huh?" Fintan turned around and saw Enma standing over them.

"Surprise!" He squealed before swinging his arms and sending them flying through numerous buildings in opposite directions, knocking both of them unconscious.

_And, as if his action had summoned the action, a wide beam of light shone down from Magitopia itself, and it stopped nearly a hundred yards away from Enma himself. An armored hand clasped tightly around a white rose petal, and it transformed into the fletching of a white arrow. The arrow was strung on an elegant longbow, and as it was fired, it left a trail of bright light through the dark and gloomy night. The arrow flew straight through many of the tentacles, burning them as it tore them in two, and although the arrow missed striking Enma himself, it left the demon deity shaken at the sight before him._

_Another armored figure ran out to Fintan, fiery plumes from helmet to fauld bouncing about as they made their way through the rubble. The figure reached out and began to gently shake the knocked out warrior._

"_Wake up…" The figure called out. "This isn't over…"_

_Fintan opened his eyes and looked up, and gasped to see the figure kneeling over him._

_The figure smiled brightly. "Dad, you're okay…"_


	41. The Saints Come Marching Home

_Fintan, the brave Wolf Knight, had always believed in his youth, that if you were courageous, and if you believed wholeheartedly in something long enough, that there was always a chance that it would happen, no matter how slim that chance was. He had never really wanted something enough for him to rely only in this simple belief until a few days ago, when he watched his only living child slip away for him in his arms. He wanted nothing more than to embrace his baby boy once more, and to get from him a warm embrace back._

_Above him stood his son, Nick, in shining red armor, but it was different from the armor he last stood in. The armor exposed parts of his skin this time around the joints, showing rippling flames beneath the surface of the red colored armor. His helm was shaped slightly differently, this time adorned with flaming feathers. His gloves and boots were adorned with talons, and his armor was much more streamlined for better movement. Gone were the ornamental phoenix symbols, except for a large one upon his back, which looked like a pair of wings. The last thing Fintan noticed was that Nick's necklace was back around his neck, although he had taken it from him._

_Nick grabbed hold of Fintan's hand and helped him up, pulling him into a warm embrace with a smile on his face. "I'm pretty sure this makes us even." Nick joked._

"_It does." Fintan replied, almost in tears. _

_For the first time in his long life, the only wish Fintan had ever wished for had been granted._

"_Sorin! Sorin!" The Solar Knight opened his eyes to the familiar voice._

_Above him was a lovely woman whom he didn't recognize as being Vida at first, but rather he recognized as being Winjiel. A large pair of pink butterfly wings sat over her eyes and nose like a mask; the rest of her face was white and featureless, and the only thing else upon her head was her almost trademarked pixie cut black hair. Her clothes seemed to fit her persona more; her sleeveless bodysuit was white with decorative pink and yellow flowing lace designs sewn in, in the back, a large pink bow sat in the curve above her tailbone, holding a long pink silk train that one imagined a wedding dress would have. Her wings were less elegant and more set for intense speeds and heavy-duty work, and the little speckles of dark pink had turned into an intense yellow. A surprise seemed to be that the elbow-length gloves were still there, and even more so, that little sakura blossom chains sat upon her wrists. The stockings also remained, but the boots she now wore looked like knee-high combat boots._

"_You're okay…up you go…" Vida said, helping the shaken Solar Knight off the ground and dusting him off. He blushed a bit, as he was unsure of what he should say in response. He was torn between 'You look lovely', 'You're alive!', and 'Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?', if I remember properly, but he chose to simply show how he felt with a tight embrace._

_Nick and Vida walked the shaken knights back to the group they came from, where four others were waiting._

_At the far left, there Charlie stood, bow pointed towards the ground, still smirking slightly from the shot he had made against the still-shaking Enma. Less jagged and heavy was his armor, more lightweight and functional it had become. Yellow feathers lined every ending piece of the yellow maraging steel armor, from the upper body shield to the tunic, the left gauntlet, the greaves and boots. His helmet was ornately decorated with the engraving of the family crest passed down through Charlie's family across the part protecting his forehead; two small pink wings and a white ribbon framing the bottom of a shield depicting the Mysterian High Plains' bird in flight banner design. In the back, hundreds of tiny feathers seemed to be glued on at an angle, mimicking the way his hair sat in the back. His right gauntlet sported an archer's thumb ring, and his right gauntlet was none other than his Archer's Brace with a soft leather glove underneath for firmly gripping his bow. He seemed to be the only one to sport a cape, which also was made of yellow feathers. Most of his skin, save for the part of his face not covered by his neckguard or helmet, was covered in tiny hard yellow scales, like a bird's leg._

_He looked over and smiled genuinely at Madison. "Did you miss me?"_

"_If you doubted that I did, then you're a fool." She replied as she began to tear up._

_Madison's armor consisted of a blue metal corset bearing the branch's insignia, an upper body shield designed to look like a pair of grayish-blue dolphin fins, an elegant coronet, and a long sarong made of dark blue fish scales that ended on her left side to look like a long fish tail, exposing her light blue sharkish skin and contrasting her jet black seaweed-like hair. Her right ankle was adorned with her Fish Tear Anklet, and a necklace made of seashells sat around her neck._

_And to Madison's left stood Clare, who stood dressed in a long white dress that was decorated in snowflakes and icicles. Her long blonde hair spiraled down until it ended at her chest. Her skin was an icy white shade, and so were her eyes. Two dainty crystal icicle barrettes sat in her hair, accentuating her look. Clare smiled and looked to her left, lightly rapping her hand against Xander's head. "We've got such good luck…knock on wood." She joked._

"_Ah, watch the branches." Xander replied in a sarcastic tone._

_She smoothed the tiny stiff branches that had replaced his hair back, only to have them bounce back in place. "There, perfect." He smiled, and his white marble skin glided smoothly about without cracking, as one would think it would. _

_All of his skin was made of elegant white marble, the veins in his arms and legs outlined on the surface with ivy vines. His epaulets, hipguards, right gauntlet, greaves, and chest were sculpted out of Infershian black rock, lined with ivy leaves._

_His joints and right arm were reinforced heavily with the black rock, while his left arm sported the Nature Brace and was entwined in ivy vines._

_He cracked his neck, letting out a wicked grinding sound as he physically prepared himself for combat._

_Enma finally snapped out of his state of awe as the eight stood in a line, opposing him. The demonic Saint of the Underworld began to speak in a soft yet terrified tone…_

"How…how did this come to be?" Enma queried. "I…I had you all…destroyed…"

"Well, you can't keep a good Magician down." Chip grinned. "Well…I guess now I have to say 'keep a good Saint down'."

Madison blushed. "It's hard to think that way about us…one moment, we're here, then another we're in…a sort of limbo…and then we're there in Magitopia, becoming Saints."

"That's an interesting way to sum it all up." Nick replied.

"And I take it you're back with us?" Xander asked, turning to face Nick.

"Oh yeah. I hope ya'll haven't held a grudge."

"I didn't." Clare replied. "I just wanted you to come back to your senses." She smiled and hugged Nick tightly.

"Well, you went bonkers on us for a cruddy reason, but I'm glad to have you back." Xander replied.

"I'm guessing this all happened after I croaked?" Chip asked Madison.

"Long story that I'll tell you later…"

"Enough of this cheery reunion!" Enma called out, waving his arm as if to brush the conversation away. "You are all in violation of my will to destroy this world, and I will give you only one chance to surrender."

"Not on my turf." Xander replied angrily.

"No way." Clare shook her head no.

"Not after you destroyed my town." Vida replied.

"Not after what you did to my father and I." Nick replied bitterly.

"Not after how you destroyed my family…not after how you destroyed my life." Chip replied, his scowl painting the image of the anger and need for vengeance building up inside of him.

"I'll definitely agree with my sister and Charlie…you have to go away permanently, because this world doesn't belong to you." Madison said, stepping closely to Chip's side.

"Well, I'm impressed with your tenacity, group." Sorin replied. "I've trained you all well."

"I'm very proud to call these children my allies." Fintan replied.

"This tentacled freak doesn't scare me anymore." Chip replied harshly. "This time, he's going to wish he stayed in his hole…he'll be joining Morrigan soon."

Fintan smiled. "I like your idea, young man."

"Why, thank you, Sir Fintan." Chip bowed.

"Shut up!" Enma softly shouted, firing off a volley of tentacles at the crew.

Back in Tech City, most of the B Squad had spread out amongst the crews of Silver Guardian members. Bridge and Tsubasa, however, had dove into the smoldering Delta Building.

"Why're we in here…?" Bridge asked, looking around.

"I need your help." Tsubasa replied. "You're the only person who can help me."

"…Me?" Bridge asked.

"What, you think I didn't understand your questioning…?" Tsubasa grinned widely.

"…Oh." Bridge replied. "So…why in this burned out mess?"

"We're going to wash these Fire Mahoutsukai out." Tsubasa let the evil grin slither across his face.

"But how're we gonna do that?"

Tsubasa pointed downwards, down at the soaked rug. "You and I're gonna make them bone dry."

"What?" Bridge seemed confused.

"I'll explain." He replied.

Elsewhere in Tech City, the sniping trio, which had been reduced to a solo effort due to the brunette panicking and his new friend going to his aid. The younger of the two boys was left to man the rifle on his own.

Another fireball rocked a nearby building. "Please…get away from the window…" The brunette called out.

"I got a good shot…" He replied, getting ready to make the shot. He fired, and the Cinders fell silent once more in shock.

The Mahoutsukai General slumped back clasping her throat, blood seeping down into her corset as she choked on the bullet. After a few moments, her eyes rolled back and her arm slumped to the side.

Some of the female Cinders panicked at the sight, but quickly regrouped at the sight of other members pointing.

"That's the one…" A Cinder scout pointed out. "Aim and fire."

A surge of fireballs shot up and arced all at the same building. The boy looked up in awe, then decided to take one more shot.

Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough.

Numerous fireballs struck the roof and the first floor, rattling the boy and causing him to lose his aim. A fireball shot in the window with keen accuracy, smashing into the muzzle of the rifle, swiveling it swiftly and smashing it into the young boy's head, sending him flying into the wall. His head smashed against the window frame, knocking him unconscious as he dropped back forwards.

Another fireball flew in and got hold of the bullets, igniting the gunpowder and causing a minor explosion, dividing the room in half with flames.

"Oh no!" The girl shouted. "Wake up!" She reached out, but the brunette held her away from the flames. "Wake up, Schuyler! Wake up!"

"We can't help him…we'll only get hurt…" The brunette said, pulling the girl closer to him as the flames shot up and divided them from the doorway and effectively trapping them in. "All we can do is scream now…"

"Scream? Can they hear us out there?"

"Well, only one way to find out…" The brunette took a deep breath, then screamed at the top of his lungs. "HELP! SOMEBODY!" The girl nodded and began to scream as well.

"SOMEBODY HELP US! HELP!!!!!"

Back in Mysteria, Udonna raised her wand to block Hime's attack, and as the two connected, the Snow Crystal shined brightly, temporarily blinding Hime.

"This light…" Udonna said to herself pulling back. She knew what she was to do. "Maaji Maji Majiiro!" The white Mahou Circle appeared beneath her and instantly transformed her into the White Magician's Mystic Armor. "This armor has so much more power behind it than before…" Udonna mused as Hime regained her sight.

"I thought you weren't one for cheap shots, you ancient hypocrite!" Hime shouted, summoning hellfire to surround Udonna.

"Maaji Majuna!" A wave of her wand completely froze a pillar of hellfire solid, allowing her to shatter it and attack Hime.

Hime swung her kanabo, and Udonna countered and deflected the blow with her staff, adding in a kick to the face.

"OW!" She screamed as she went rolling off her salamander's back and landed in the snow. "That burns!" She screamed, quickly brushing the snow off. "Where's our backup?"

Several Hideacs came to her aid and mumbled incoherently. "Oh! A wonderful idea…" She grinned. "Cover me!"

A small group of Galers finally arrived and ran out to aid Hime as she retreated. "Meru Zazare Zanga Mejira!" They shouted, summoning a wall of dark wind.

The groups panicked, and the best defense they had came from the Elven Swordsmen and their tower shields which allowed them to brace the impact and guard those without defenses.

Hime took to her own in the back of the field. "Embarrass me in front of my friends, will you?" She muttered as she swiftly carved out a Madou Circle. "I'll feed you to my pets…" She stood up as she finished, and she cracked her knuckles. "Okay…Meru Douza Zazare…Meru Douza Zazare…Meru Douza Zazare…" The Madou Circle glowed a bright purple, and she grinned as she continued to chant.

A second small group of Galers joined the group already out, and they added their strength to the wave of razor sharp dark winds.

The Hunters howled and mustered up the strength in their legs, then leaped over the wall of wind, terrifying the Galers. They licked their jowls and charged, which forced the Galers to focus on getting rid of them and less on getting rid of the others.

"Meru Douza Zazare…Meru Douza Zazare…ah!" Hime finally felt the pull of a successful summoning and she stopped as a pair of large demon-looking dragons rose from the Madou Circle. "Go, my children! Kill the Mysterians!" She cried out.

Udonna looked up in awe, as did everyone else. "Oh no…" She had seen the monstrosities before, during the last war. "Everyone! Destroy those monsters!"

Everyone and everything that had wings rose up to attack the dragons. Many of the fairies and sprites began tossing meteor hammers in hopes of tying down joints, but the demon dragons repelled them with their claws and tails.

"Kill them, my pretties!" Hime shouted, raising her hands up to the demon dragons. The demon dragons roared triumphantly, then swooped down.

The sprites and pixies scattered, trying to avoid the charging dragons. Some were unfortunate enough to not move fast enough. Others, like Acantha and her friends, quickly hit the ground running.

Acantha wouldn't had left Xander's house if her friends hadn't goaded her to come with them to help Udonna. Now she was running for her life. She screamed at the top of her lungs as she dashed across the field away from the dragon that had set its sights on her.

Just as she hit a ridge, a pair of hands reached out from under her and pulled her into the ditch. She screamed as she fell into the ditch and landed on top of her savior.

"Hey, you're a little sprite! Hello there!" Phineas said with a grin. Acantha's eyes widened, and she screamed at the top of her lungs as the dragon swooped on by. "Wow, you scream awfully loud of a sprite…" Phineas let go of her, letting her roll off the top of him.

While all that was happening elsewhere, in Briarwood, the tentacles had finally approached the Saints.

Nick did the most sensible thing that he could think of; he summoned his phoenix tail sword and hacked away at the tentacles that reached him, searing them on contact. However, they came at him even faster, causing him to jump back and out of the way.

Vida grinned as the tentacles flew at her. Her wings fluttered rapidly, lifting her slightly off the ground. She tossed her arms back horizontally gathering the wind tossed about from her wings. She then viciously slammed both hands together in a clapping motion; the wind slammed into itself and bounced around viciously, slicing every tentacle to approach it. However, more surged at her, and she flew up to dodge them.

Clare held her hand up and flicked her wrist. The snow beneath her shot up and formed glacial spikes, impaling the tentacles.

"Ha!" She called out. She fired off more glacial spikes, capturing more and more tentacles. She grinned, until suddenly they shattered. "Ah!"

She summoned a wall of packed snow to block the blow, but even that wasn't enough. She panicked and threw herself to the ground, turning to snow and blending in with the powder around her.

Xander grinned. "So, you wanna toss a load of licorice whips at me? Fine!" Xander held out his left arm, and the vines entangling his arm and the gauntlet pulled away from his skin and shot out to grapple the incoming tentacles. The vines multiplied to meet the number of tentacles, then wrapped around the ends and pulled hard, causing the tentacles to stop coming towards him. "Yeah, that's right…you don't want any of this, do you?" He taunted. "Too bad, you've come this far, it's only hospitable to finish the job!"

Xander transformed his right hand into a long axe blade, then sliced the tentacles just beyond where the vines held them. The tentacles split apart and wriggled a bit in the vines' grip, causing Xander to panic. "Ew! Ah!" The vines dropped the tentacle ends and retracted as the longer and still attached tentacles began to regenerate.

Chip summoned another arrow of light and prepared to fire as Madison summoned her trident. The tentacles wrapped around the trident and surged upwards. Madison grinned, and the prongs twirled about as they did on Vida's Battle Staff, ensnaring the tentacles. Madison pulled back with all of her might, stretching the tentacles thin, then turned to grin at Xander for inspiring her. Chip aimed and fired, slicing through and disintegrating the tentacles where the arrowhead and the tentacles met. Enma seemed affected by the attack, and Chip noticed.

"So…" Chip muttered, summoning another arrow. He aimed a bit more fatally and fired while Enma was distracted.

The arrow struck between Enma's glowing eyes, and Enma seemed to be heavily stunned by the blow, but not enough to be down for the count. He stumbled about for a moment, then pulled the arrow out, laughing.

"Did you really count on finishing me so easily…?" Enma asked as the hole in his head regenerated slowly.

"He's stronger than I remember…" Fintan said in a shocked tone.

"At his healing rate, even I couldn't fire enough arrows to finish him off…even in this state…" Chip muttered. "There has to be another way…"

Back over in Tech City, the B Squad split up into two groups. Syd and Z assisted the front line defenders, while Sky and Stella, who were better at post-demolition recon, decided to search the city for any injured parties.

"So Sky…see anything?" Stella asked as she turned on her SWAT Armor's scanner as she approached an abandoned residential area.

"Nope…not yet…" Sky replied, walking around the warehouse district. "Remember, there's three missing kids in the city so we have to keep an eye out-huh?" His audio scanner began to pick up something faint. "I think my scanners are picking up something…maintain your position and fall silent until I give a signal."

"Got it, big bro." She replied. "Tate, out." She muted her microphone and sat down.

"Hello out there?" A voice called out to Stella. "Is somebody out there?"

"Hm?" Stella looked and saw a woman on top of her roof. "Oh…ugh, what to do…"

Sky looked up at the warehouse where the voices were coming from; the roof was swimming in flames, and the eerie glow almost lit in something from a faded memory. "Where're the screams coming from…" He muttered, adjusting his scanner to visually display audio frequencies. The fire gave off soft, ambient waves, but from the second floor, wide waves that matched the screams flooded the screen. "Alright…" He turned his communicator back on. "Green, you read?" He called out to Stella using her call name.

"Gotcha, Red." Stella replied in a soothing tone.

"I'm gonna need some backup here…I'm getting reading of a massive set of audio waves being emitted from a building here in Sector C, possibly 2-4 people trapped in the building by the looks of it. I'll need your assistance, given that the building is heavily engulfed in those black flames."

"I'll be there in a few. I'm outie." She closed off radio frequencies. "So ma'am…you were saying?"

"I was wondering if anybody found my son yet…" Marlonetta spoke. "He's probably out there, scared witless…"

"Don't worry, we'll find him and bring him to a safe haven, I promise." Stella replied.

"By the way, I love your suit. I'm guessing it's experimental?"

"We've had these for less than six months." Stella replied.

"Ah. My husband moved from mechanics to bio-chemical research last year, and I've always worked in bio-chemical technologies, so I never get to see any of the new suits." Marlonetta chuckled. "Oh, my husband set out to find our son…would you send him back if you find him?"

"Sure." Stella smiled as she looked around. "Might I ask why your house is the only one not on fire?"

"I suppose it's just magic." She smiled lightly. Stella didn't reply; she knew exactly what Marlonetta meant.

"Okay…well, keep on praying on that magic…because I've gotta report to this building before the Big Bad Red Ranger kicks my ass for holding him up. Take care, will ya?"

"Of course."

Stella began to leave, but Marlonetta held out her hand. "Wait!"

"Hm?" Stella turned around.

"My son…he told me that he kept having nightmares of drowning…if you don't find him in this building, then I beg you please to look in the fountain in the Main Square."

"…Will…do…" Stella found the whole request odd, but she was intent on finding Marlonetta's son, regardless of how absurd it sounded. "Alright, take care!"

"I will." Stella finally departed.

Meanwhile…

"So you're saying that I can pull off all these fancy magic tricks like you?" Bridge asked.

"Granted, you don't have a wand, and you have no sort of training, but all I need is an assistant. You have a very strong psychic ability, which makes me think that you'd be hanging around the Blue branch of magic. So, if your psychic abilities work on the same wavelength as magic…"

"Listen, they're a genetic mutation; they have nothing to do with magic."

"But they are influenced by magic…the magic within all of us! Think about it for a moment…science and magic go hand in hand!" Bridge frowned. "Alright, Mr. Science Man…fine. Let's take this on a …scientific…bias or whatever. You can…what's that word…oh! You can levitate things, right?"

"Well, I have a little bit of telekinesis…I've moved chairs and tables and mechanical equipment, yeah."

"Well then, if you don't believe in magic, then I'm sure you'll believe in levitating water out of a bunch of soaked things using your scientific powers of psychicness." Tsubasa gave him a look that seemed to mock Bridge.

Bridge looked at him for a moment, then sighed. "Fine…" He began taking his right glove off. "I just warn you, while we're doing this, don't touch me. And definitely don't make skin-to-skin contact afterwards. Understand?"

"That's fairly simple and doable, Mr. Psychic Waterboy." Bridge sighed heavily as he removed his other glove and dropped the pair to the floor and clapped his hands together.

"Ready?" Bridge asked.

Tsubasa pulled his wand out of his cloak pocket. "Let's go!"

Bridge took a deep breath and closed his eyes while holding his arms out parallel. He began to go through the motions of his telekinesis; he envisioned the water trapped within the building's system of rug-covered floors, and he imagined them being drawn away from the floor and up into the air.

"Hydrae Levia." Tsubasa said, causing the tip of his wand to glow blue. Water from the air and the carpets began to gather around the glowing point. "Wow, you're really helping out!" Tsubasa said to Bridge.

"Good to hear…" Bridge replied, grinning.

"Why doncha say it with me?"

"Say what?"

"The spell."

Bridge gave him a dirty look. "You believe in magic…c'mon! Will you say it for good luck, at least?"

Bridge huffed. "Fine…Hydrae Levia…" A sudden burst of energy surged through him, rushing out to his fingertips and outwards through the room. Bridge felt the energy surround them through the entire room. The water began to collect faster.

"Awesome…keep on going!"

Bridge suddenly felt a pull towards the floor. "Yeah…I'll try."

Back in Mysteria, the last and largest wave of Galers made their way through the trees and underbrush towards the open plains, where they could hear the battle cries ringing out.

"What's going on?" A Galer called out to the third brigade's leader. "I didn't think we were going to be battling so soon."

"I told you that guy was a spy!" The brigade's leader's assistant cried out.

"Shut up, both of you. You'll give away our position."

"Give it away? We're hiding under malnourished flora! Not much of a hiding spot." The brigade member argued.

"Shut it!"

The fluttering of hundreds of wings disrupted not only the argument in front, but the entire unit's movement. They stopped and prepared to defend as the wings got closer.

"They're…bats…" A brigade member said in awe. "Hundreds of bats…"

The bats seemed to disappear altogether suddenly, which terrified the Galer brigade. "Where did they go?" The leader called out to the brigade.

"Oh, are you all looking for us?" A voice called out.

The Galers faced forwards, and in front of them stood Yuri in her old Vankyuria costume without the ink black skin, and nearly two hundred of her closest 'children'. She had teased her normally straight hair into a giant ball of wavy frizz for the occasion.

"Nice to meet you all…nice of you to stop by for a midnight snack." She looked to her two closest 'children', who grinned happily and bared their fangs. Yuri stood and watched as her children shadow strafed around, attacking whatever Galer they happened to reappear near.

Some of the Galers resisted and sliced apart her 'children' that unfortunately got in the razor-like wind's path, but they found themselves automatic targets for doing so.

The groups were roughly the same, as far as numbers went, and they were all too preoccupied to chase Yuri as she departed for the front lines.

The Hideacs and Galers all gathered back up and prepared another strike. The Galers put up black wind barriers around the Hideacs to guard them from the Galers' attacks, and to punish those who melee attacked the Hideacs.

"This is the end, old woman…" Hime proudly said, looking upwards at her dragons. The larger of the two shrieked and dive bombed Udonna.

A shriek pierced the air, but it was not from the dragon. Udonna began firing bolts of ice at the dragon, but it dodged it happily, smiling with every evasion. As it approached Udonna, the strange shriek once again filled the air and Hime flinched as the next few seconds unfolded.

Tsubasa swooped in and body slammed the dragon, clasping its beak around the dragon's throat, and his claws ripped away at the dragon's wing. The dragon swerved and ascended rapidly, leaving Udonna with only having to duck under its tail.

"That thing's only a baby…" Hime spoke to herself as she watched Tsubasa and the dragon battle it out. "Shame it's not gonna live long…" She laughed.

Yuri lunged at Hime, fangs bared. She tackled Hime to the ground and began sucking her dry. Hime began to struggle, swinging her kanabo in defense.

"Get off of me!" Hime shouted, slowly fading into unconsciousness. "This wasn't…supposed…to happen…" She collapsed as Yuri finished her off.

Yuri finished her off and frowned while wiping her face. "Ugh…after half a century of not feeding, and my first drink's bitter." She tossed Hime's body aside and sighed. "Well, that was boring. How's the little one doing?" She looked upwards.

Tsubasa began to start pecking at the dragon's left eye while clawing at the neck wounds. The dragon growled and swatted Tsubasa away, sending him falling towards the ground. The brave hippogryph, however, fluttered his wings to correct his descent and landed on his feet. He then shot up into the air.

The dragon fired off several black fireballs, which Tsubasa expertly avoided. Tsubasa aimed for the dragon's already injured wing, and clamped its beak down on the top limb, crunching the bone inside.

The dragon roared in pain and swatted at Tsubasa, which he dodged by letting go. He did his damage and decided to move on. He dug his claws into the dragon's back and began to pull back like a hound preparing a spot to sleep. The dragon became furious and swatted Tsubasa off, causing blood from its wounds to spray down onto the field. Tsubasa became stunned and hit the ground, lying prone. The dragon sneered and dive-bombed him.

As the dragon approached, Tsubasa looked up, having feigned unconsciousness. He was sure that his uncle would've been proud that he remembered the trick that he had trouble remembering the command for, as now it was benefiting him. He swatted the dragon's snout, knocking it off its flight pattern as the young hippogryph got up. He bit onto the dragon's tail and tried to scale it upwards as the dragon furiously shook to get it off.

Soon, Tsubasa found himself clinging for dear life as the swinging became unbearably turbulent. He dug his claws in and continued scaling, driving the dragon into a pain-induced frenzy. The dragon raised its back leg and began to use it as a weapon to scratch at Tsubasa.

Several wounds dug in deep, causing Tsubasa to cry out. He tried flapping his wings in defense, only to have the dragon snap the bone inside his left wing. He let go and whimpered. The dragon sneered and shook Tsubasa to the ground.

The dragon turned to crush Tsubasa with his giant paw, but Yuri grabbed the dragon's paw and shoved it away. Several of her 'children' came to her aid and began distracting the dragon.

Udonna channeled her rage into the Snow Staff. "Magi Magi Majiine Majika!" Sweeping her arm identically to how Madison did with her trident, the motion knocked snow up into a rushing arc laced with brilliant white magical energy, which sliced into the dragon's thick hide, from one side to the other, dividing the dragon in two.

Yuri looked down at Tsubasa, who was breathing in a labored fashion. She kneeled down and gingerly stroked the top of his head. "Do not you worry a tiny bit, young one…Miss Yuri will make you better…you told me that it would be me many months ago…" She sighed, them looked up and began calling out orders. "Children! Gather and follow the White Magician!"

She looked up to Udonna and frowned. "I must hurry…I will heal the little one! Watch and guide my children!"

"I will!" Yuri shadow strafed away from the field, taking Tsubasa with her.

Back in Briarwood, the Saints found it difficult, even in their superior numbers, to combat Enma.

Fintan and Sorin calmly collected themselves and joined the fray, but even then, they weren't doing much to help.

Sorin summoned Kiran's lamp to aid the effort, rolling the disk against his palm three times before pulling the trigger. A flat beam of solar energy rocketed off and sliced away tentacles from Enma's back, causing the whole right side to become devoid of tentacles…for a few moments.

This gave Nick enough time to charge in and take a quick swing at Enma. However, he wasn't quite as quick as he perceived himself to be.

Enma grabbed him by the head, the fiery feathers seeming to not affect him. "You thought that you were going to take me down in a single blow?" Enma asked him, looking into his eyes. Nick knew a shiver should have gone down his spine, but the fear he once had had all but run off since reawakening. "You have no fear…how reckless." A newly developing tentacle wrapped tightly around his wrists, causing him to drop his sword. "To have no fear is to have blind courage, and blind courage is something I believed that no true Mahoutsukai, let alone a Saint, should ever possess…"

"What would you know about Saints, anyways?"

"I know all of your limiting rules that your master places upon you…I know, because many of my followers come to me to lose those pathetic limits. Magic was not created with rules! Magic was created with power! With sheer will of the immortal soul, the will to change the world, the will to possess anything and everything one desires…to have limits is to destroy magic itself!"

"You speak like a madman." Fintan said, driving his sword into Enma's abdomen. He hadn't seen Fintan coming, as he spent his entire focus on Nick.

"A madman, you say?" Enma chuckled. "Oh, you're clearly madder than I am if you think you've done me in." A quick tentacle slapped Fintan away, then pulled his blade out and tossed it at the downed Wolf Knight.

Nick stood on the tips of his boots, aiming his back directly parallel with Enma's shoulders. "Luludo."

The middle prong of the phoenix symbol attached to his back, the prong that ran parallel to his spine, shot forwards, revealing itself as a second sword, and sliced straight through Enma's hand, up his arm, through his shoulders and through to the opposing shoulder, effectively beheading the demon deity.

The removed section slid to the side for a moment with the sword, then fell back, dropping to the ground. Nick looked up and grinned, and the rest of the group looked in awe at the achievement.

However, Nick's only reward came in being lifted by the tentacle wrapped around his wrists and tossed into his father, then watching in horror with the others as tentacles slowly lifted the head and shoulder segment up and, after placing it as it went, fully reversed the previous move.

Enma cracked his neck, then stretched his arms out to get the feeling back in them. "Did you truly believe that I could be destroyed by physical means?" He laughed. "You're all as foolish as I presumed…"

Meanwhile in Tech City…

"Stella, what the hell took you so long?" Sky griped as Stella finally arrived. In reality, her tardiness was only perceived; she had managed to arrive earlier than she promised.

"I'm here, okay?" She griped. "Now, let's go. They're on the second floor."

They both went inside, and Stella couldn't help but look around. "This looks familiar…didn't we used to play here, Sky?"

"If we did, I'm pretty sure I'd remember it…and I don't." Sky replied. "Now, up the ladder."

"Are you sure, Sky? Because I remember this place as being a hangout of ours…" She asked as she climbed the ladder. Sky didn't respond, he merely began walking up the stairs.

"Sky…?"

"Shut up, I'm trying to find the kids."

Stella sighed and followed him.

After less than a minute, Sky stopped moving. "Found'em. Let's go."

Sky stood outside the door, and it was now obvious that there were occupants. He kicked the door in and found two kids near the door and the rifle aimed roughly at the right wall.

"See? I told you they'd find us!" The brunette said.

"So, you're the ones up here shooting at everyone, eh?" Sky said. "I'm impressed."

"No, it was him." The brunette replied, pointing to the boy slumped on the floor.

"I'll get him. You get those two." Sky told Stella.

The girl began to cough as Stella picked her and her friend up. "Up ya go! No kicking!" She said with a smile.

"Bye dad!" The girl waved at Sky as they left. Sky blushed and Stella tried to not laugh.

Sky walked over to the kid in the corner, just as the roof began to collapse. A wide panel blocked the doorway and set the door on fire, and also nearly crushed Stella and her pair. Stella began running quickly to escape, and luckily made it outside.

Sky picked the unconscious boy up and then untied the gun. "It'd be a shame to lose a nice rifle like this…" He wrapped the rifle strap around his back and powered down. "I hope you don't mind being Peter Pan…" He said, looking out the window to assess the fall. "Because we're about to do a little flying…" The roof above him creaked as he took a few steps back. "Up and over!" He ran and placed his hand on the windowsill, pushing his body up and out over the sill.

The roof that had fallen before ignited a gas barrel and it exploded less than a second after Sky jumped out, and the explosion rocked Sky and the boy forwards.

Sky had anticipated needing to use his shield in the descent, so he threw it up as he fell through the air.

The blast propelled him towards the building across the street, and he was heading straight for the steel wall. He curled himself and the boy up tightly behind his shield as they came close to impact. The shield dented the wall, and sky drove it in the allow them to glide down the wall. Blue and white sparks flew up from the wall and the shield as they slid down. Sky bent his legs appropriately as they began to come closer to the ground.

Sky wasn't anticipating the ground to be icy, though, and as he landed, he slipped and fell backwards, twisting his ankle and landing on the gun. He dropped his shield as Stella ran up to him.

"You okay, Captain?" Stella asked.

"I'll…I'll be fine."

"How's the boy?"

"My big brother will be okay!" The girl exuberantly replied to Stella, giving he "A-okay" sign with her hand. Stella smiled.

"Well, he didn't hit anything, and he didn't move…but he's breathing, so he's gonna live, I think." Sky replied.

"See? I told ya. A-okay!" The little girl smiled.

"Okay, I'm gonna get you two safely home to your mommies and daddies." She noticed the attire of the boy in the dim firelight. "Oh! Green pajama boy! Alright, I found ya!" She hugged the brunette tightly. "Okay, I'll get you home first, and you, little lady, can hang out with me, okay?"

"Okay!" The girl seemed cheerful before she coughed.

"We'll check you both out for smoke inhalation and…well, I doubt you two have any frostbite from being in that fire…" She looked to Sky. "This little boy's mom wanted him home, so I'm taking him there, okay?"

"Tell Collins we got the three missing kids, will ya?"

"Sure." Stella stood over Sky. "Are you sure you don't need some sort of…medical attention?"

"I'm just gonna lie here a minute…get the kids outta the cold weather." He said, looking up at Stella with a stern look on his face, or as Stella referred to it, his normal look.

"Want me to take Mr. Sleepy?"

"I'll get him to Collins. I just need to catch my breath."

"…Okay." Stella walked away.

She powered down and proceeded to carry the kids back to where the boy's mother was waiting for him.

"My dad is such a hero." The girl smiled.

"Yeah…" Stella smiled. "So, how do you two feel?" She asked.

"I'm okay." The girl replied.

"I feel better." The boy replied.

"Good to know."

The boy stared at her head, and Stella noticed as they rounded a street corner. "Yes?"

"If you're a girl, why do you have short hair?"

"Well, it fits in helmets better." She replied with a smile.

"Do they make fun of you because you have short hair?" The girl asked.

"Of course not! Why would they? They make fun of me because I'm weird, instead." She blushed and looked down.

"You're not weird, except for your hair." The girl replied, staring at Stella's head.

"Thanks." Stella smiled awkwardly.

"…Do you work at the Delta Building?" The boy asked. "My dad works there, and so does my mom."

"Yeah, kinda." She replied.

"She's working with my dad, remember? He saved my big brother!" The girl replied.

"Oh hun, that's not your dad." Stella said sadly.

"It's not?" The girl looked a bit sad.

"Well, he's my big brother."

"Oh, okay." She replied. "…Your big brother's a crazyhead, then."

"Apparently, so is yours. Firing off rifles like that, he's lucky he didn't get you two killed."

"My big brother wants to play hero like my dad. I told him that if we went up there, we would get in trouble!"

"Well, I guess both our big brothers can't listen to reason…"

"I'm glad I'm an only child." The boy replied.

"Well, siblings are fun, but they can be big doodieheads and be mean and dumb sometimes."

"That's what I told mom, but she didn't listen to me! Everybody loves my big brother more than me…" The girl sulked and crossed her arms.

"That's not true…I'm sure your big brother loves you much more than anything else…big brothers don't know how to show it, though. My big brother loves me, but he's a big, raisin-hearted grumpyhead, and he's always being upset. But I know he loves me."

"Well, sometimes my big brother gives me some of his cookies…"

"See? You're the best sister he could have. You just gotta show him lots of love."

"I will." The girl smiled.

"And you, little guy, as much as I'm happy to save you, you can't just run when you're scared. You gotta be a little tough. Not that running away when you're gonna get your butt kicked isn't a good idea…but you can't be super scared all the time. Got it?"

The boy shook his head.

"He told me to scream and then you found us! He saved us…he's my other hero." The boy hid his face as the girl reached over to hug him.

"Okay you two…better say your goodbyes, cuz here's our first stop. And she doesn't have cooties, so stop hiding." She set the two down on the doorstep and rang the doorbell. John answered.

"Hey there! Long time no see!" He said, adjusting his wire frame lenses. He looked down. "Oh god, you brought him home! Thank you so much! Please, c'mon in."

Stella led the two in. "They feel a little cold, even to me…"

"My wife just finished making a nice warm blanket this afternoon…sort've a tradition in her family, I guess…here, kids, get up on the couch, and I'll get you some warm cocoa…"

"Oh, I was gonna take her with me…"

"Nah, I work with her dad…she's okay here with me." John smiled. "So, where have you guys been? You just up and left, and now you're back?"

"Yeah, for a while…we're gonna leave town once everything's settled here."

"It's a shame…I'd like to look over your tech equipment again with a bit more time…" He sighed. "Ah, I guess Kat and I'll just have to go with what we got." He walked into the kitchen. "You want something to drink?"

"No, thanks, John. I should be going…"

"Oh, okay then. Wouldn't want to hold you back while they're still out there." John replied. "By the way, have you seen Marlie? I came back just as she was leaving the house, and I haven't seen her since."

"I'll keep an eye out for her."

"I told her that I couldn't find our boy anywhere, but she said that something else was wrong…I said I'd go with her, but she said to stay here…I'm a bit worried."

"I'll find her, John. Don't worry about it." She smiled. "Just take care of the kids and get them all warm."

"Will do." Stella smiled and hugged the kids, then left.

"Hey Sky…" She called over her communicator.

"…Yeah?"

"You can drop the boy off at 1237 Winchester Lane down in E Sector. The other two are there too."

"…1237 Winchester…isn't that Bridge's house?" Sky asked. Stella stopped moving, dumbfounded that she hadn't recognized the address herself. She looked back for a moment, silent. "…Hello?"

Meanwhile, Marlonetta walked through the burned out Delta Building, following the energy she felt emanating from the building.

"Bridge, keep it up!" Tsubasa shouted.

"I can't feel my legs…" The water around them was thigh-deep now, and still growing.

"I understand now…" She muttered to herself, standing down the hallway from them. Bridge fell to his knees from exhaustion. "Don't be afraid…stay courageous."

"I'm feeling weak myself, but we're not done yet!"

"I can hardly see…my sight's so blurry…" Blood dropped down into the water from Bridge's face, dissipating into all of it and fading.

"I won't let you drown in the pressure…" She slowly slid a short and neatly framed stick from her coat pocket. "Hydrae Levia."

The water surged outward from the neglected areas and gathered along with the current amount around them. Tsubasa looked back, but the water blocked Marlonetta from view. "A little bit more…"

Marlonetta grinned as Bridge slowly stood up. "That a boy…"

"Okay, we're ready. Ready?"

"I can hardly hear you…"

"Ready?" Tsubasa shouted.

"Yeah!" Bridge shouted back.

"Hydrae Transit Unda!" The water rocked back and forth, attempting to conform to the desired shape.

Marlonetta frowned. "He can't do it alone…help him…"

"Hydrae Transit Unda!" Bridge shouted, making the water rock faster and harder. The water began to shine blue around them as they stood hip-deep in it. Bridge's eyes fluttered as he began to collapse.

"Hydrae Transit Unda!" Marlonetta shouted, giving the water a final push.

Outside, the Cinders gathered and watched the burnt out building shine a light blue. "What is that energy…?"

Syd and Z panicked. "Stella…" Z called out on her communicator.

"Yeah?" Stella's voice replied.

"You know where Bridge is?"

"I thought Tsubasa dragged him into the Delta Building."

"We can't move from here…but your ass should probably run over there quick!"

"Oh god, what's wrong?"

"It's like a light show…"

"I'm on it." She transformed into her SWAT Armor and ran as fast as her legs could take her.

The remnants of the frames holding the front wall of the Delta Building were crushed underneath the massive shining sky blue wave of water that surged forth. The Cinders panicked and tossed fireballs at it, but they merely sizzled and fizzled on impact, and the wave crashed down on top of them, drowning most of them, and leaving the rest without enough energy or surrounding aura to create fireballs.

Syd and Z looked out to the weakened Cinders, scanning them to assess the damage. "Very little Troobian energies anymore…I think we can charge them." Syd said.

"I'll give the call." Z replied. "Okay! Everything's clear! Move out!" The Silver Guardians followed Syd and Z out into the wooded area to finish the job.

Stella rounded the corner and slid across on her left shin to Bridge's side. He and Tsubasa had been swept out by the giant wave and were now lying flat on the ground, seemingly unconscious. She went to see how he was, then noticed that his gloves were missing. She ran over to Tsubasa, who was slowly getting up.

"Gimme your cloak!" She shouted.

"Huh?"

"Gimme your damn cloak for Bridge NOW!"

"Geez, lady! Fine!" Tsubasa pulled off his cloak, revealing a soaked pink wool sweater and equally wet black wool slacks. He stood up, looking pulled down by the weight of his clothing, and handed Stella his cloak.

Stella quickly put the cloak on Bridge, tying the long sleeves off and putting the hood over most of his face. She then scanned his vitals.

"Agh…" She powered down and began performing CPR. After a few tries, Bridge coughed up water and opened his eyes.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty." Stella said.

"…Did it work?" Bridge asked.

"You're in rough shape, but you'll be fine."

"…Did we win?"

"I think we did." Stella said with a smile.

"Get to your feet!" A faint voice called out from the wooded area, and then shots rang out.

"Well, we're kicking some ass it looks like. We'll be fine." Tsubasa smiled.

Marlonetta silently walked out. "Is he…?"

Stella turned around. "He'll be okay."

"Oh, good." Marlonetta smiled.

"Your husband and boy're safe at home, waiting for you, ma'am."

"I see." Marlonetta blushed. "Take care! Have fun back home!"

"How did she know we were leaving…?" Stella looked over to Tsubasa.

"Maybe it was magic." Tsubasa grinned, looking over at her.

"Maybe…" Stella couldn't resist, however, doing what she did next. She tightly hugged Bridge and squealed, "You're my hero!"

"Ugh…thanks…" Bridge replied, hugging her back. Cheers rang out from the forest as the Silver Guardians returned back to the town.

Meanwhile, in Briarwood…

"Luludo!" The Mystic Force dropped out of their Saint Armors and reverted to their Magician forms; long black robes bearing the Saint Pentagrams, holding the Lion Head Staffs in their hands.

"What foolishness…" Enma said.

Sorin and Fintan stood at either end of the group, in their Knight Armor.

"I have a good idea. Ready?" Nick called out. The rest of the group nodded. "Okay, group formation!"

The girls kneeled on the ground in front of the guys; Madison in front of Chip, Clare in front of Nick, and Vida in front of Xander. They all held their staffs forwards, and Sorin and Fintan kneeled and grabbed hold of Clare's, which's was the focus point of the attack.

Enma stood and waited to see how this was going to turn out. He was intrigued to see just how desperate and worn out the Saints were.

"Alright, I remember we all thought we wouldn't go for this particular spell, but I think this would be a good time to use it. Ready?" The group nodded. "Okay, say it with me!"

"Golu Luludo Majiine Jingajin!" The Lion Head Staffs glowed the appropriate colors, and the lights shot out to the end of Clare's which were joined with the white, gold, and crimson lights that had already been there before. "Holy Aurora!"

The rainbow of lights shot forwards, joining together and smashing into Enma, who threw up his hands to guard. The light shook him and pushed him back, diving through the gaps in his fingertips. The light smashed him back further, making him grind his feet into the ground. Finally, his feet fell out from under him, and he went flying through building after building until he was halfway across the town. The team stopped the attack, waiting for the dust to settle.

The ground rumbled beneath them, and the group was at a loss in knowing what was occurring. Suddenly, from the rumble, bright red and black lights shone upwards and into the sky above, and an instant, debris flew about as Enma shot upwards into the sky.

He grew massively, becoming taller than the clock tower in the center of town. "You children of Majiel never cease to amuse me with your fruitless efforts to destroy my servants and I…" He growled and knocked over the clock tower.

As it toppled over, the parts of the clock tower suddenly froze in mid-air.

A light shone in front of the Saints, and three figures could be seen within it. The figure to the far left was holding up a staff towards the clock tower, shifting the tower back in place.

"Nobody destroys an instrument of time on my watch." The voice belonging to the figure called out gruffly.

Back in Mysteria…

Udonna commanded the vampires to her side of the field as the Galers and Hideacs who remained took to their own side.

The remaining dragon soared overhead, waiting to strike. Even without a master, it still knew its orders.

"Vampires, fairies, sprites, and archers, follow me! All others, charge!" Udonna commanded.

"All troops, charge!" The Galers' new leader called out, pointing forwards. "Dragon, destroy them!" The dragon roared and dive-bombed Udonna.

Udonna leaped up high, aided by the snow below her. She sent a gust of icy snow at the dragon, which flinched and roared. The archers fired their arrows, but the effect seemed minimal at best. The dragon's skin was much too thick to pierce it with basic arrows.

The dragon began to swoop upwards, but a pair of fangs crunched down on its tail, preventing it from chasing Udonna. Garra, who dashed out as soon as she saw Tsubasa's injuries, had her jaws wrapped around the narrow part of the dragon's tail. She was accompanied by a Hunter who came to her aid and took a bite to help steady the dragon.

Udonna descended down from where she was and magically created a giant block of ice to fall down on top of the dragon. The ice splintered and shattered on impact, yet only minimally affected the dragon. It shook its head and roared, then gave chase to Udonna and her team.

Out on the main part of the field, the goblins pulled out some hissing firecrackers and threw them into the crowds. They were hoping to save them for a victory party, but now they were only hoping for a miracle.

The trolls volunteered to help lob the firecrackers farther back into the crowds by swatting them with their clubs.

The Elven swordsmen ran through the field at the Hideacs, tossing up their shields as the demons swung at them. The Hunters viciously charged after the Galers who, despite their best efforts, couldn't hit the rapidly moving and high-leaping attackers. One Galer managed to spot Garra and the Hunter that were holding the dragon back, and out of anger, blasted them both with vicious gusts of wind.

They both turned back to spot their attacker, then chased after the Galer, letting the dragon loose.

The archers ran down the field while the vampires surged up and began teasing the dragon. The archers prepared shots for vital areas on the dragon while the vampires flew about, catching the dragon's attention.

"Your mother was a throw rug in my mother's house!" The vampire girls teased, sticking their tongues out and shaking their rears at the dragon.

"My mother ate big bitches like you for breakfast!" The boys taunted, shadow strafing about. The archers waited for the right moment.

The fairies began setting up long hand-holding chains with the pixies and sprites and began to form dance circles. "Okay everybody, dance!" The group leaders shouted. The circles of various forest, plains, mountain, air, and tree familiars began dancing, kicking up mini tornadoes to aid the archers with a little extra punch to their shots. "Remember to aim with the archers!" The leaders shouted.

Some of the ice sprites began doing ice dances around some of the archer's quivers, enchanting the arrows to freeze on impact. The archers smiled and fired their ice enchanted arrows, which became rapidly propelled by the mini tornadoes which had bent at the arrows' wills.

The arrows, this time pierced the dragon's thick hide, and did a decent amount of damage. The dragon roared in pain.

Udonna grinned. "Vampires, spread out!" As the Vampires thinned out their ranks, the younger males began to dig through their gakuran coat pockets, and the females began digging out of their corsets, tiny flash bombs that they lit and tossed down to distract the dragon while the older males tossed daggers at supersonic speeds to keep the dragon from attacking Udonna.

Udonna raised her wand and it shone brightly. "Magi Magi Majiine Majika!"

The snow gathered as she pointed the Snow Crystal at the ground. After a few moments, she shouted, "Out of the way!" making the vampires disappear from sight and gather behind her.

She swung her Snow Staff, releasing another white wave of light and snow, splitting the dragon straight down the middle, both halves spilling out blood and falling to their sides.

"Oh, pretty!" A young female vampire wearing a small Mad Hatter hat and maid's dress said, hugging Udonna. "You made pretty snow!"

"Yay!" The younger females clapped and cheered. The younger males cheered and tossed up flash bombs.

"…Obaa-sama?" The young vampire hugging Udonna looked up and said to her sweetly.

"…Yes?"

"Can I go have some yummy pretty snow?"

"You'll have to ask your mother."

"Aw! Okay…" The vampire adolescent looked down sadly, holding her hands down in front of her.

The rest of the troops that had been with Udonna began running after the Hideacs and Cinders, who had begun to flee to field.

Unfortunately, the Rangers, who had retreated earlier, came back in full force. Those who retreated never got the second chance to turn back.

The field fell silent as the last Cinder fell and the groups began to tally up their body counts and mourn. After a few minutes, the groups all came together, surrounding Udonna, to have a somber celebration and to calm down after a long fight.

"We'll set the fires up. Everybody else just settle in." The head Ranger said. "Sorry we're kinda late." He grinned.

"You came in just at the right moment." Udonna replied back.

Meanwhile, in Briarwood…

"Chronojiel…" Sorin said softly, staring in disbelief. From left to right stood the Arch-Saint of Time, the Arch-Saint of Magic, and the Saint of the Moon, in the flesh.

Chronojiel finished setting the tower as it was, then turned around, bearing what appeared to be a smile. "Sorin…Madison…Charlie…for once, I'm glad to see the three of you." Her gaze turned stern. "Mostly because none of you have tried screwing with anything or have been disrespectful."

"Mother Majiel…" Fintan said, drawing the Arch-Saint's attention.

"Yes, my dear Fintan?"

"…Why are you all here?"

Majiel smiled. "I'm just being a mother and protecting my children."

"If you fail, then my children will perish, and I can't have that either." Chronojiel added. "Besides…I can't always just sit around, not using my talents in combat and such…a woman of my stature gets rusty quickly." She frowned.

"…I'm just here because I get to be." Lunajiel replied with a wide grin on her face.

"How touching…" Enma said, his whispering voice amplified greatly by his height. "How sickening." He thrust his foot forwards, knocking over buildings and tossing the debris in the direction of the Saints.

The group scurried and ran, all except Chronojiel and Majiel. Chronojiel pointed her staff at the rocks, while Majiel pointed at Enma with just her pointer finger.

"Lujuna! Plane Shift!" Chronojiel shouted.

"Gojika! Hollow Mirage!" Majiel shouted.

A gray light shot out from Chronojiel's staff and shot through the debris, fading it out of existence. Majiel's fingertip emitted a translucent sphere which grew as it flew upwards at Enma and surrounded him. It began to shine brightly, but it was broken by Enma. He laughed. "That tickled…"

The Saints stood back in shock as Enma laughed. "What? You presumed that Mommy Majiel was going to run in and save you?"

Chip grimaced and stepped forwards. "How dare you speak that way of Majiel, you bastard?" He shouted as he was being pulled back by Sorin and Fintan. "You're a coward, hiding behind your words!"

"Charlie…be a little sensible right now…" Sorin spoke into his ear. "He's big enough to step on us."

"That doesn't mean that he isn't a coward! It sure as hell doesn't mean that I won't call him out on it, either!"

"Were you drunk when you died and it just passed along?" Sorin asked him, giving him an odd look.

"No, why?"

"Hey, focus!" Lunajiel shouted, snapping Chip out of his veil of anger. "Now, I will weaken him. You all stay here and recharge."

"Huh? Where are you going?" Chip asked.

She turned her back on Chip and looked upwards. "Goolu Golu Gojika."

A silver light enveloped Lunajiel, changing her clothing entirely. From a simple purple Bohemian skirt to a wide white skirt divided into four horizontal strips by silver rings, and adorned in silver text written in the ancient text of Magitopia. Her bodice changed from purple to silver, and long, veil-like sleeves appeared on her arms. Her purple and silver headscarf grew long until it completely engulfed her hair. Her skin turned white, and her eyes turned silver. She then expanded upwards, reaching the clock tower's height. It all seemed to happen within the blink of an eye.

"Wait!" Chip shouted from the ground. "Bloody…fun stealers." He frowned.

Lunajiel stood tall against Enma, who laughed at her. "Oh please, child…do you really have any hope of defeating me?"

"No, but I will weaken you, no doubt." She grinned. "Goo Golu Gojika!"

She swung her staff, sending forth a silver disc of light which sawed through Enma's tentacles and dropped them to the ground. Enma looked upset and mildly pained. "Goo Goludo Gojika!"

She spun her staff and deflected Enma's attack, and focused the beams of moonlight that shone down towards the regenerating tentacles. The beams of moonlight burned away at the healing tentacles and kept them from growing back any further. Enma winced and swung at Lunajiel, knocking her into nearby buildings.

Enma charged over and picked Lunajiel up by the head. His eyes danced with a sick delight, which enraged the Saint of light and lightning himself.

Chip stepped forward and transformed his staff; the phoenix wings stretched out, the back of the lion's head provided gripping sockets, and the long rod piece of the staff became adjustable with a socketed grip at the end. The phoenix's head tipped upwards, the beak pointed out towards the victim of Chip's rage.

He pulled back and charged the phoenix's beak with yellow magic energy. It shined brighter than any arrow Charlie had ever charged before. He fired it off and it screamed through the air, striking Enma's hand and making him drop Lunajiel. Enma looked down at Chip and gave him a confused look.

"You…dare attack me?" Enma looked down at Chip.

"I dare." Chip's eyes intensely glared deeply into the great demon's eyes, trying to intimidate him despite the height difference.

"I see." Enma quickly picked up Lunajiel and tossed her down at the Saints, causing her to shrink down to human size. Madison, Clare, and Vida ran to her side. "If you're all together, then you'll die together."

Lunajiel slowly pushed herself up as Enma pointed at them.

"Mejira." A red Madou Circle opened up, firing out a black wind that swept out and tossed the Saints to the other side of the town.

"That's it!" Madison shouted, getting up first. Clare followed her up.

"Jii Gojika Jingajin! Frozen Hydras!" Hundreds of frozen water hydras shot upwards, striking viciously at Enma, but doing more than tearing skin away that healed almost instantly.

The rest of the group slowly joined the two who stood up. Enma laughed. "Honestly, do you think that hurt?"

"He's too big for us to combat…" Xander said, looking upwards.

"He doesn't have to be." Nick replied, giving the group a big grin.

"Nick…don't…" Lunajiel said, still weak.

"Ready?" He said, looking to his group of Warrior Saints.

"Ready!" The quartet responded.

"Maagi Magi Majiiro!" They transformed into their Mystic Armor. "Goolu Golu Gojika!"

Their bodies rocketed upwards, taking on metallic properties. Nick's Mystic Armor transformed him into a warrior with red armor and a red feather-shaped headpiece, complete with a sword. Chip's Mystic Armor transformed him into a giant yellow garuda with wings as forearms. Madison's Mystic Armor transformed her into a giant blue mermaid with a trident. Vida's Mystic Armor transformed her into a delicate fairy with razor thin, slender wings. Xander's Mystic Armor transformed him into a giant green-armored minotaur armed with an axe.

For a moment, they stood in awe at their transformations, but quickly pulled together.

"Fintan, Sorin…?" Clare said, giving them a look.

Fintan looked to Majiel. "You three stay here. We'll give you time to think of what we should do."

"Be careful!" She warned.

"Of course, mother." Sorin said, grinning.

"Maagi Magi Majiiro!" Clare transformed into her Mystic Armor.

"Goolu Golu Gojika!" The Knights and Clare suddenly found themselves being as tall as Nick and Chip.

"Nice suits, guys." Clare said, giving the thumb's up.

"…Thanks." Nick replied.

"Well, here goes!" Sorin shouted, summoning Kiran's lamp. As hoped, it arrived in his hands, adjusted to his current size. "Perfect." He ran his hand over the disc rapidly, then fired off at Enma before Enma could charge him; the blasts knocked him back, but it seemed to do little damage that wasn't almost instantly repaired.

"Damn…"

Majiel smiled. "I have just the thing." She nodded. "You five!" She called out; the Warrior Saints knew exactly whom she was referring to. Clare and Fintan deflected blows made on them and countered. "I have one last spell to teach you! Listen well! 'Maagi Jiruma Golu Jingajin!' Use it quickly!" She shouted, giving a wink.

The five nodded. "You heard the Arch-Saint." Nick shouted. "Let's do it!"

Vida turned to Madison. "Since when was Nick so…leadery?"

"…He turned over a new leaf in purgatory?" Madison weakly replied, unsure that it was the real answer.

"Hm." Vida shrugged.

"Maagi Jiruma Golu Jingajin!"

A Saint Pentagram opened up below the five of them, changing them all to pillars of light. Another Saint pentagram opened up above them middle, channeling the pillars of light upwards, combining them, then firing them back down into one giant metallic entity.

The entity wore blue pointed Magician boots, a green hip guard, a wide red chestplate with yellow and red shoulder guards, blue-grey arms and legs, black gloves, and a black Magician's hat, which was slouched in the entity's eyes. The garuda's torso and wings sat on the back of the entity.

The bottom Saint Pentagram faded, and the top Pentagram emitted a beam a light in front of the entity, bestowing a sword comprised of the axe, trident, and sword. The entity tipped its hat upwards, revealing its shining green eyes.

Within the large metal entity, the five reappeared, their lower halves encased in shortened Rook chess pieces. Below them sat a chessboard which they moved around, and currently, Nick was in the middle, Chip and Madison to his right, and Xander and Vida to his left. Behind them, a shining gold Saint Pentagram sat, and around them, they could see 180 degrees around them, as well as whatever was above them.

The Mystic Force looked around, tightly gripping their Lion Staffs. "Wow…" They said in awe.

"We're…back to ourselves?" Xander asked.

"No…I know I certainly don't feel like myself." Chip said, looking himself over. "I feel like…like I'm separated from myself somehow…"

"That is because your spirits are the ones driving the mighty Magician King." Majiel's voice spoke to them overhead, like a loudspeaker. "Whomever is in the front position controls the King, and their actions and vocalizations will be mimicked by the King."

"We all live in a giant Magiking…" Nick sang to himself softly. "…Sorry."

Clare giggled; since Nick was a space ahead of the rest of the group, he was considered the current 'controller', and she heard him singing.

"Magiking…what a nice name." Clare said.

"Thanks." Nick smiled, as did Magiking.

"Hey, Singing Man, pick up the sword and fight!" Fintan ordered as Enma slammed his claws into Fintan's shield. "Luuma Golu Goludo!" The top door shot open, revealing a glowing Saint Seal where the eye used to be. Crimson wolves shot out of his shield, knocking Enma back a bit.

"Oh, right." Nick emulated reaching down to grab his staff, and Magiking grabbed its sword and pulled it out of the ground.

He moved back and transformed his staff into a sword by making the phoenix wings bend back into a handguard as the back indented to provide a handle to grip the staff like a sword. He then shifted back in front and took an attacking pose.

"Jii Golu Gojika! Fire Slash!" Nick's staff glowed with red energy and fire, as did Magiking's sword. Nick ran in place, and Magiking ran forwards as well. As Nick and Magiking gained speed, the fire and energy surrounding their swords gained strength and swelled in size around the blade.

Nick jumped, and Magiking followed suit; Nick held his jump to keep Magiking in the air. As Magiking began to descend, Nick began to lower his legs and prepare his swing. As Magiking approached, Enma put his hand up to guard. Nick spotted the move and kicked Enma's hand down as he fell down and slashed Enma's shoulder and drew diagonally down to the hip, burning and searing the flesh it connected with and partially melting the armor it touched.

Enma stepped back, shocking everyone by the damage that wasn't healing as rapidly as it had before.

"Golu Luludo Gojika! Frozen Shower!" Clare summoned a rain cloud to pour down frozen rain and hail to aggravate the slowly healing wounds. Enma winced.

"Goludo Golu Golu Gojika!" Sorin charged the lamp up to its fullest power.

"Ready to go, boss!" Kiran shouted from inside the lamp.

Sorin pulled the trigger, sending a beam of solar energy that carried Kiran along through the sky and smashed into Enma's midsection, knocking him back further.

"I wanna do some damage!" Vida shouted, giving a fighting pose.

"Just take a few steps forwards, and your base will do the rest." Majiel's voice called out.

"This fighting system is way too simple…" Vida took several steps forward, and suddenly the base around her legs shifted forwards a space, and Nick slid a space back. Vida then slid over two spaces to her right, and Nick and Xander both slid over a space to their left.

Magiking's wings spread open as Vida took control. Vida slammed the blade of Magiking's sword into the ground.

"Time to take to the skies!" Vida said, giving Chip's trademark salute, which Magiking also imitated.

"Hey! You stole that!" Chip called out.

"Haha, Charlie, you still love me though." Vida laughed, looking back in an awkward manner. "Up, up, up, and away we go!" She imitated her levitating posture and Magiking rose into the air.

"What is that crazy woman thinking?" Chronojiel asked. "She'll be more vulnerable in the air!"

"She's Winjiel…the sky is her home." Majiel replied.

"…I see." Chronojiel replied.

Vida ascended up to about a mile up in the air. "There. That's high enough!" She put her hands over her head as if she were about to dive into a lake.

"Sis…you realize how…high up we are…right?" Madison asked in a completely terrified tone.

"Mhm." Vida nodded. "Goludiiro Golu Gojika! Fairy Divebomb!" She bent forwards and pushed, turning Magiking facing the ground at a steep angle. As soon as it was perfectly angled, she pushed upwards and began to twirl.

The rest of the group suffered from being hung nearly upside down and spun around endlessly; even in their spirit state, they felt nauseous, and Xander even started holding his stomach. Madison screamed in horror as they all plummeted to the ground at astonishing speed.

The attack gathered pink wind energy as they rocketed down towards Enma's current position. "Well, if we miss, he'll still hit him at this rate." Vida joked.

"Shut up, V…I'm gonna hurl all over you if you don't…" Xander weakly threatened.

Chip closed his eyes as he began to hyperventilate and flash back to almost a year ago. He tightly gripped Madison's hand, which stopped Madison's screams of fright and made her look over at him. "…I think we'll be fine…" Madison weakly said, her voice cracked from her own fear. "I want us to be fine…"

"As long as it doesn't start storming, I'll be fine." Chip replied. "I…I rarely find myself plummeting to the ground at this speed…I hate this…"

"We'll be fine." Madison smiled. "Close your eyes…"

"Well, I don't see what everybody's complaining about…this is better than any flight simulator ever made! This is better than broom flying!" Nick shouted.

"Shut up, Nick." Xander, Chip, and Madison shouted at him.

"Fine, fine…"

They closed in on Enma, and suddenly Vida sharply bent backwards and her extended foot caught the pink energy and slammed it into Enma's gut. Then, still flipping back, She landed on her hands the bent herself tightly to land not far from where she backflipped. She then fluttered the wings, knocking the doubled-over Enma to the ground.

"Even the mighty fall, baby." Vida gave the Wind Scout Salute once more.

"Alright, Twinkle Toes…" Chip said, moving forwards and shifting to the front. Vida shifted next to her sister.

"Hey, sis. You okay?" Vida asked.

Madison held her right hand and looked it over, cradling it. "…Yeah." She looked up to Chip.

"My turn." Chip said, glaring and turning around to grab Magiking's sword. Chip picked up the sword and pointed it forwards.

"Zazare Uzaara Majiine Majulu. Lightning Sword Seal."

A Saint Pentagram opened up above Enma and for bolts of lighting shot down around Enma, transforming into blades shaped like Magiking's sword, only with a yellow aura surrounding them.

"Did he…just use Madou spell words?" Lunajiel asked Majiel, confused.

"He did…" Majiel seemed a bit shocked.

"The boy's like Bragel…obsessed in the knowledge of Madou things. But what justice it is to see Enma's words of power turned against him!" Chronojiel smiled. "It's almost…artful."

"Isn't it against your decree, Mother Majiel, to use Madou spells?" Lunajiel asked, concerned.

"Well, I made it clear that Madou spells, by themselves, were forbidden…but it's a compound spell, using three levels of symbols…and the target is an agent of Infershia…the head, in fact…and he's not using them to gain anything…as much as I want to say it is against my Precepts…it's not." Majiel looked confused herself.

"Let it be…the boy has only the purest of intentions. Trust me…I've kept my eye on him…he's a 'Thorn' in my side…" Chronojiel giggled.

Enma attempted to smash one of the swords, but as soon as he touched it, a beam of light shot through the connected areas, burning his flesh and sending the smell of rancid flesh floating through the air. Enma winced.

Chip pointed his staff, and Magiking's sword, upwards. Magiking's eyes narrowed, rancorous animosity seeping through every little movement Magiking and Chip made.

Chip swung the staff in a full circle, saying yet another spell. "Ugaro Jiruma Goo Majulu. Arc Light Stinger."

Magiking created a wide Saint Pentagram, the five points glowing yellow and the center open. Chip transformed his staff into a bow and prepared to fire a shot. While Chip's movements looked natural in the cockpit, Magiking looked to be holding something invisible in its right hand, and for some reason, holding the sword back with its left.

"What an awkward stance…" Sorin commented.

"I know what I'm doing." Chip viciously commented as he finished the attack.

He drew the bow back completely, then fired. Magiking tossed the sword like a javelin, and as it passed through the open center, the five points shot yellow lightning bolts through it, making the sword glow yellow and crackle with electric energy. The blade shot through his chest, sending the electricity and light surging through Enma, making his muscles twitch. Enma grabbed his chest, which was now marked with a yellowish tint at the point of impact.

"Nice shot, Charlie!" Madison shouted. "I'll go next." Madison shifted to the front, pushing Chip next to Vida.

"Hello, you crazy bitch." Chip said affectionately.

"Hello, my future brother-in-law." Vida grinned sweetly, getting dirty looks from Madison and Chip.

"Alright, here goes!" Madison held her right hand outwards as a guard and her left hand back, holding her staff downwards in preparation to create waves of water.

"Gogoolu Goo Gojika! Rapid Tides!"

The staff and sword's tips glowed brightly in a hue of blue as Madison and Magiking gripped the rod and hilt with both hands. Madison began swinging her staff swiftly from side to side, as if rowing a kayak, and Magiking did the same with its sword. Waves of shining blue water shot through Chip's barrier and slammed into Enma, tearing at his legs and lower body. Enma's legs bent a bit out of the loss of strength and extreme pain.

"Alright, leave some of him for me!" Xander said exuberantly as he shifted to the front. Madison and Nick slid over to their left.

"Hi, Nick." Madison said, politely waving.

"Hey…" Nick replied in a nauseated tone.

"You okay?"

"All this stopping and starting with the movement is giving me motion sickness."

"…You can't be serious." Madison asked.

"…I am."

"Mr. 'Falling out of the sky is awesome!' is getting nauseous from the old stop-and-go?" Chip mocked. "You big bitch."

"At least I didn't need to hold someone's hand."

"Hey! I have my reasons-"

"Both of you quit!" Madison shouted.

"Thanks, Maddie." Xander replied. "Okay, stall for me."

"Well, it's not like he's going anywhere…" Clare shrugged.

Fintan stepped in front of Magiking, shield raised. "Thank you, Sir." Xander replied.

Enma laughed. "Douza Mezaara Zazaado." A red Madou Circle opened up in front of him and shot forth dark magic beams straight at Fintan, Sorin, and Clare.

"Lujuna Majuna Jijiru!" Clare summoned a wall of ice to absorb the blast.

Sorin charged up his lamp and fired an equally strong beam to counter.

"Not the smartest idea…" Nick muttered to himself.

"Hm?" Madison asked.

"Well, you've never seen the movies, so I'll try to explain."

"Tell us simply, Mr. Technical." Chip snapped.

"Well, when two opposing energies collide…"

"Simple!" Chip shouted.

"Big kaboom, alright?"

"What's a…kabo-"

Xander was cut short by a massive explosion which knocked back Sorin, Fintan, Magiking, and Clare.

As the group lie hanging backwards, it dawned on Xander. "Ohhhhh…that's a kaboom!" He replied.

"You're a genius, Xander." Nick replied, rolling his eyes.

"Alright, here we go…" Xander pushed himself upright, setting Magiking, as well as the rest of the group, back to their feet. "Okay, I'm charged and ready!" Xander clenched his fists and took a running stance.

"Majulu Luludo Majika Jingajin! Terran Bomber!" Xander charged his staff and Magiking's sword with green earth energy until the sword was hidden underneath the immense power charged into it. He then slammed Magiking's sword into the ground, causing a wave of energy to surge underground and create a moving earthquake. Xander then charged at Enma.

The earthquake made it to Enma first, and as it did, it shot up a giant slab of granite that popped Enma into the air and through the back lightning sword, scorching his back horribly. Just as Enma reached a decent height off the ground, Magiking approached.

Xander, who held his staff downwards as Madison did, diagonally slashed upwards from Enma's right hip up to his left shoulder, then pulled the staff up over his left shoulder and diagonally slashed down from the right shoulder to the left hip with enough force to send Enma crashing down into the ground below him, indenting the ground deeply.

Xander landed on top of him with his right foot, and with his left foot providing stability, he kicked Enma hard enough to fly out of the hole and tumble about for a few hundred feet until he landed face down on the other side of town.

Xander slid backwards as the five all became part of the same row. As Xander began to turn back, the rest of them magically followed suit.

Majiel, Lunajiel, and Chronojiel, who had all risen to the others' sizes, had helped Clare, Fintan, and Sorin to their feet and were eagerly waiting for Magiking to arrive on their side of the field.

"Well, he's still alive, I'm afraid." Chronojiel muttered as they arrived back.

"We'll fix that!" They all shouted, their voices becoming one.

"Whoa. Weird." Clare replied.

"Well, dear sister, I have one final idea in how to get rid of him…but I'm afraid that you'll have to be in on it, too." Majiel said, placing her hand on Chronojiel's shoulder.

"I believe I stated earlier that, while I normally take a stance of non-action against both Infershia and Magitopia in its little ongoing war, I'm afraid that I am forcibly dragged into this by what is at stake, and that, if I must be involved, I cannot let Infershia win." Chronojiel replied. "Whatever you need from me, I will try and oblige as far as I can."

"Good. Here is my plan." They quickly huddled as Enma struggled to get up.

The group of Saints lined up as Enma slowly got up. Majiel and Chronojiel stood in front, Sorin and Fintan stood behind them, Lunajiel and Clare behind them, and behind and between them stood Magiking.

Inside, in Magiking's cockpit, the group had formed into an unusual formation. Nick sat in the very back, in the middle square. One square ahead and two squares away on either of Nick's sides sat Chip and Xander. Two squares ahead, Madison and Vida sat with only an empty square between them. They all sat faced towards the center, their staffs held firmly in front of them as they waited for their cue.

"Perhaps we should give a little role call to get the feeling of a team?" Majiel called out.

"Sounds good to me." Chronojiel replied. "I will go first." She stood up straight, seemingly much more vibrant than usual. "The Eternal Watcher! Arch-Saint of Time, Chronojiel!" She giggled. "I feel like a little girl…"

"So good to hear." Majiel smiled. "The Spirit of Life! Arch-Saint of Magic, Majiel!"

"The Crimson Flames of Courage! Heavenly Saint General, Wolf Knight!"

"Shining as the Sun! Heavenly Saint Warrior, Solar Knight!"

"The Night's Companion! Heavenly Saint Warrior, Lunajiel!"

"The Breath of Winter! The Warrior Saint of Snow and Ice, Snowjiel!"

"The Heart of Magma! The Warrior Saint of Fire, Flagel!"

"The Sparkling Storms! The Warrior Saint of Lightning, Volgel!"

"The Tranquil Seas! The Warrior Saint of Water, Sprajiel!"

"The Gusting Squall! The Warrior Saint of Wind, Winjiel!"

"The Steady Ground! The Warrior Saint of the Earth, Groungel!"

"From Heaven and Hell, to Terra between, we ten stand in The Light! Enma, your reign is over!" They all shouted together.

Enma stood up, his hand on the cloths binding his face. "On the contrary…" He ripped the cloths and tossed them away, revealing his massive mandibles which futily closed around the gaping hole that led inside. He drew in air, and the group quickly began their work.

"Gojika! Hollow Mirage!"

"Gojika! Eternal Dance!"

Majiel revealed her staff; a long white oak staff adorned with a Saint Pentagram carved from diamond. She and Chronojiel crossed their staffs and fired off their attacks in a steady stream. Just as the shot approached Enma began exhaling heavily, firing a large beam of dark magic energy. The two of them alone was visibly not enough to pierce it, and the beam created by the two Arch-Saints began to be repelled.

"Luuma Golu Gojika! Wolf Buster!"

"Golu Jiruma Gojika! Prominence Burst!"

Sorin and Fintan aimed their shots at Majiel's diamond Pentagram, which channeled both shots through and joined the Arch-Saints' attacks, pushing Enma's attack back a bit. It still wasn't enough, however.

"Gojika! Lunar Pulse!"

"Gojika! Chilling Wave!"

The two followed the boys and fired into Majiel's diamond Pentagram, which now evened out the attack between the group and Enma.

"There's our cue!" Nick shouted. "Countdown! Five!" Nick pointed his staff towards the empty center of the chessboard.

"Four!" Chip followed Nick.

"Three!" Madison cheerfully added, pointing her staff inwards.

"Two!" Vida enthusiastically cried, pointed her staff in with the others.

"One!" Xander calmly finished out the group as he pointed the lion's head inwards.

"All together!" Nick cried.

"Golu Luludo Majiine Jingajin! Holy Aurora!"

_The giant metallic Magiking swung its sword, forming a giant Saint Seal in the air. It then ran the blade through the center and shot off a brilliant white light that, when it hit Majiel's diamond, it illuminated over everything in the town, the light visible even in the sky above the clouds, even out in the vast emptiness of space. _

_The light burst through Enma's dark energy and shot straight into him, enveloping the very essence of him in its glow. As the group of Saints lowered their attacks, what remained of Enma was an empty shell standing frozen in place, its eyes blackened and hollow and purified. Enma had become nothing but a cloud of weakly sparkling light that surrounded the hulking shell. The black light shimmered but for a moment before disappearing out of sight._

_Inside the giant Magiking, Charlie dropped his staff and all but collapsed out of sheer shock and joy upon gazing out to the scene. The rest of the group turned around and began to cry tears of joy._

_Majiel, Chronojiel, Bragel, Sungel, Lunajiel, and Snowjiel all embraced the large Magiking, and the Magiking reached out and joined in the large group hug._

_Majiel then broke the Magiking up into its five pieces, then the five shrunk down by themselves. The other Saints followed them back down to human height and the eleven of them stood and watched as the empty shell that was once Enma crumbled to the ground on the other side of town._

_Far off on the outskirts of town, the Saints could hear the cheers of the Briarwood residents who had fled in preparation for the earlier attack, and as the cheering died down the clock tower sounded that the first hour of the new year, as well as the army of Infershia, was no more…_


	42. The Northern Winds

_In the center of what was left of Briarwood, the eleven Saints of Magitopia surveyed the damage that they had caused in the middle of their fighting._

_Charlie fell to his knees and transformed back into his own clothes. His breathing continued to hitch as it had as he fell facefirst to the ground. Madison took off her helmet and bent down to comfort him as he began to cry. The others, still in their armors, cast them aside and bent down to check on their fellow Saint, but Madison shooed them away._

_Madison softly placed a hand on his shoulder and he looked up, tears streaming down his face, and the widest grin Madison could ever remember him bearing upon his worn out frame since the first day she met him._

"_This…is the best belated birthday gift ever." He said with a soft laugh, making Madison smile._

_Madison helped him to his feet and brushed him off. He wiped away his tears on his sleeve, then grinned even wider. Madison was worried that the sudden surge in smiling would tear the corners of his lips if he kept it up._

_The rest of the group continued to watch the two of them, waiting for something to happen._

_Madison gave him a look. "So…coming back to m-…to us…isn't the best gift ever?"_

_Charlie looked around, his smile shifting to a pensive sort of frown, and he truly thought about it for almost a full minute. "Well, it's good to be anywhere other than where I was, that's for sure." He joked. Madison frowned, and Charlie picked her up as an almost automatic reflex. "Of course it's good to be back with you…and it'll be great to see Tsubasa and Udonna…won't we just give Udonna the greys waltzing into Rootcore like nothing's happened?" He asked the group, who gave him looks of understanding. "Why don't we all go back now?"_

"_And leave our town like this?" Xander replied in a severely annoyed tone. "This may not be your home, but it's ours…well, most of ours…"_

"_Well, not exactly." Majiel replied, causing all of the attention to focus on her._

"_What do you mean by that?" Xander asked._

"_Well…you're all Saints now…" She began to say._

"_What does that have to do with anything? What about the Saints before us? They were here too!" Nick replied._

"_I didn't have anything to do with that. In fact, I frowned upon it. You see…Terra is not the proper place for Saints…it's just not…fitting."_

"_Like Hell it isn't!" Vida viciously replied. "I grew up here, and my father's going to be spending a lot of time with his partners trying to fix this place, and if you think I'm leaving to live in the clouds just to sit around and watch him, then you're insane." The elder Saints, including Fintan and Sorin, seemed shocked by Vida's commentary. "My father lost one of us before…he's not losing us two now. You can go ahead and take away all my powers if you won't allow me to live here…I'd rather be powerless and with my father than live a second away from him." She held her arms out, inviting Majiel to take up her offer. _

_Madison went to stand up for Vida, but Charlie pushed her back._

"_Knowing what I've accomplished, I too would rather spend the rest of my days as plain as any Faithless than stay away from this town in its time of need." He said, stepping forward. "The people of this town…of Briarwood…have been nothing but warm-hearted towards me, even when I was much less than pleasant towards them in return. If Vida wishes to stay here, then so will I. I wouldn't want her to be alone…"_

"_She wouldn't be." Madison said, finally stepping forward. "I would never leave my sister and father or Charlie."_

"_And I wouldn't leave my best mates." Xander said. "They're the only girls who ever stuck with me through thick and thin, even when I was a sleazy jerk. If they weren't going to be around Magitopia, I'd hate to never get to hang out with them again. Besides, leaving Yuri alone would be the worst thing I could do to her…we both understand how miserable her life would be without me…and how miserable I'd be without her."_

"_These guys were my first real friends, and if I had to choose between magic and them…that's just a no-brainer." Clare replied, stepping away from Lunajiel's side and stepping back into the ever-growing circle._

_Nick looked at Majiel and Fintan, then at his group. He looked at both groups again, then shrugged his shoulders. "I was happy when I was a cop. Never needed magic for that. I was happy never knowing my true family, too. But now I know them…" He sighed. "If I had to choose between staying here with my mother and leaving with my father…I'd stay here. No offense…dad…but I couldn't just leave her there, always thinking of me and regretting that she couldn't be with me." Nick stepped back next to Clare._

_There in the middle of the town, six stood opposing five, the old against the new, the team against the family._

_Majiel stared at the six who resisted her decree in wonder; she had no possible idea why they would rather live in the troublesome and hardship-ridden world of Terra, especially going as far as to give up all of their newfound magic just to do so, when she had created Magitopia to be the paradise that they deserved to live in as powerful minor deities._

_"Tell me, why do you think that I shouldn't just kill you all right now for opposing me in such an arrogant manner?" Majiel asked them. Madison knew Vida was a bit panicked by the comment, because she automatically grasped Madison's hand as Majiel spoke. "Do you all think that you are somehow special because you helped us destroy Enma, and that you deserve special privileges to circumvent my decrees whenever you feel like it?"_

_She stepped forwards and walked halfway into the no man's land that had formed between the groups._

"_Since the very beginning of time itself, when I lied down my decrees, I stated that Saints were not to commune with Terrans and Infershians, because our world is vastly different from theirs, and they could never fully comprehend our existence. We have all surpassed their form of life, and we do not need their plane of existence to satiate ourselves. In short, we do not belong here, as Terrans do not belong with us. That is how it has always been; we only become involved when the threat of Terra's demise is imminent, and the treat of Magitopia's demise is close following, and then we leave once more. Now, though, you are choosing to go against the most cherished of my decrees because you feel an emotional attachment to the rubble around you, when paradise awaits your arrival once more."_

_The younger Saints all seemed to agree silently with Majiel's comment._

"_Then I suppose that I must alter my decree to be more specific." She said in a harsh tone. "Magitopia and Terra are to be divided amongst only those who fit the criteria to live there. Saints who choose to remain on Terra…" Majiel suddenly smiled. "May choose to do so for however long a duration, so long as they fulfill their duties as defenders of The Light."_

_The group gasped in delight, and the elder Saints joined Majiel in her smile._

"_Then I wish to stay here as well." Sorin replied as he turned to face Majiel._

"_Et tu, Sorin?" Majiel grinned._

"_I wish to stay here and aid Nick in completing his training to be a Knight, as well as further my knowledge on the Terrans."_

"_And I wish to catch up with both of my children, even if it means going back and forth between Magitopia and Terra."_

"_Oh, that won't be necessary." Majiel said, a look in her eyes suggesting something that Fintan couldn't quite understand. "You can stay here with your family if you wish."_

"_Let's get back to Rootcore, everyone!" Clare shouted happily. "Party on the archery field!"_

"_Ah! Not the field!" Charlie protested as the groups began to slowly move towards Rootcore._

One a.m. approached Tech City, and Tsubasa began assisting Bridge in putting the last of the fires out. Bridge, with a new pair of black gloves conjured up by Tsubasa himself, held Tsubasa's wand in his hand as Tsubasa walked him through the motions.

"Okay, a little flick of the wrist when directing the conjured water…and you gotta aim it…" Bridge followed the instructions and perfectly doused a giant flame. "Nice! You got potential. I'll give you my number, and you can call me if you're ever bored and wanna keep on with this."

"…You have a cellphone?"

"I may be from a magical dimension, but I'm far from out of touch. Now, my uncle on the other hand…I'm surprised he knows what a phone is." Tsubasa grinned.

"I see."

"And you'd better call me when reunion time comes. The three of us would appreciate to meet a few other people and stir up a little craziness."

"Oh, we have enough crazy in the family as it is…don't get me started with uncle Martin on my dad's side."

"Oh boy. Save it." Tsubasa replied. "I like a good surprise."

"Oh, you'll be surprised, alright. And Cousin Gracie…you don't wanna know what she does for a living out in Summerwood…"

Standing around the hole in the front wall of the Delta Building, the Silver Guardians, B Squad members, and various Delta Tech employees stared inside.

"Well, looks like you guys'll have to rebuild…" Sky observed.

"We had a special ops crew arriving from a very long trip to assist in policework around here…we can't house them here…" Captain Collins griped.

"Well, I'm sure if you united the community into rebuilding the place…"

"We don't have enough laborers, though…"

A rushing wind shot above them, and down landed the Ravenwood Militia. Jenny jumped down from her broom, scaring the Guardians. "Ah! Don't shoot!" Her rat familiar squealed and hid under her hat.

"Who are you?" Captain Collins asked.

"We are from Ravenwood…we take it that you are the good guys here…" Jenny replied, unflinching herself.

"You guys are Magicians, right?" Syd asked.

"Yes we are…our town is perfectly fine, so we came to see how our neighbors were…" Jenny looked around. "What a mess…"

"…What do you want?" Captain Collins asked, his hands on his hips.

"Are all you guys gonna be fixing this place up on your own?" Jenny asked. "We'd be willing to help you all out."

"Help us…?"

"Trust me, Captain, these guys are good guys. The guys are the complete opposite of the guys who tried to burn the town down." Sky said in an unusually business-y tone, as if trying to get Captain Collins to 'buy-in' to the idea. "I say let them help out. You'd be how surprised the town'd be back in order, especially with all of them here."

Captain Collins gave Sky a look. "Well, you've been right about a lot of things so far…we really are pressed for time…so if you guys can work quickly, I guess I gotta take your offer." Captain Collins offered his hand out to Jenny for a shake. "I suppose we gotta talk pay rates…"

"Oh, we'll do this all for free. We don't even need food." Jenny replied.

"Wonderful! We'll call you guys tomorrow."

"Majiel, we'll start right now!" Jenny looked back to her crew. "Everybody! Move out!"

Captain Collins turned to Sky as Jenny and her crew converged on repairing the town. "So…I take it you guys gotta leave again."

"Afraid so, sir." Sky said, looking sad.

"So…will I ever get to see you kids again?"

"We'll be around." Stella said, looking to Sky and grinning. Sky grinned back.

"Well, take care on your trip back home."

"We will. You just take care of this little town, and we'll get home without a scratch." Z replied.

"I can promise you guys that we will."

"I'll get the boys and you get the jeep, and we can be on our way." Stella said, walking out to Tsubasa and Bridge.

A few minutes later, the jeep was well on its way back to the portal leading to Newtech. As they drove into the vortex, Sky took a moment to look back. He sighed and closed his eyes, and when they opened again, they were back home, and the portal behind them had closed.

As if on cue, Sky's morpher beeped, signaling a call. He grabbed it and opened. "Hello?"

"Sky, where have you been? We've been trying to reach the entire B Squad for hours now!" Kat's voice called out.

"Only hours?" Sky asked.

"You've only been gone for hours, Sky." Kat replied. "Just…return to base."

"Got it." Sky closed his morpher. "Boy, do we have one hell of a report on our hands when we get back." He grinned as Syd once again accelerated.

Out in Mysteria…

The groups had banded together over the big victory fire, going back to their camps and bringing back food for a giant potluck victory meal.

As the fire started to die down, talks of what to do with their newfound alliances had begun between groups that, a week ago, would've rather been thinning each other's ranks than shaking each other's hands.

"Miss Udonna…" A plains elf approached Udonna as she stared up at the stars, isolated from the rest of the group.

"Yes?" She asked, looking back at him.

"Well, we would love to have you here delegating during these current talks, if you wouldn't mind."

"Of course." Udonna said, picking up the Snow Staff at her feet and following the plains elf back to the group.

"Everyone! Gather 'round!" The plains elf called out, catching everyone's attention.

"Miss Udonna!" A fairy called out as she flew up to Udonna's eye level with her companions. "We have a brilliant idea that we all agreed on!"

"And that is?" Udonna asked.

"We were thinking…we know that there are still evil people about, very few of them, but they still might try to destroy this place again!"

"We want to build a shrine here…build solid walls and places for people to pay homage." A troll spoke up.

"We can set up lots of things here…we can draw out blueprints!" The goblin captain called out.

"We'll light the place up!" A group of forest sprites spoke up happily.

"We'd be happy to open up our mines and quarries to get the stones for this shrine." The dwarf chieftain spoke up.

"We could provide timber for the framework and lodging for the workers." A forest elf spoke up.

"And if Kaa-san says so, we'll stand guard!" A young male vampire spoke up exuberantly. "We'll stand in every hallway to make sure baka Madoushi and youkai regret trying to destroy the comfy beds!"

"What do you think?" The plains elf asked. "We'd all be willing to work on it…"

Udonna smiled. "As long as it is opened to everyone."

The groups smiled and the fairies and sprites danced.

Garra growled and barked for Udonna's attention. "I wish I could stay, but my home calls for me, as does my pet. I will return tomorrow to this site, and I would like to talk to all of you then."

The leaders of the groups nodded their heads as their crews began backing up.

"Shiiro-sama, do we go with you?" An older male vampire asked.

Udonna thought for a moment. "I don't have room for all of you in Rootcore, I'm afraid. You all have a home to go to, I assume?"

"We do."

"Then I will tell your mother that you are all there waiting."

"Yes, Shiiro-sama." The vampire bowed politely to Udonna, then turned to his brothers and sisters. "Iku ze!"

"Come, Garra…I need a long rest…" Udonna said, patting the demon upon her head.

Meanwhile…

_Together, the heroes of Briarwood walked through the forest, joking of the things on their minds; what they were going to be doing tomorrow, what they were be going to be telling their grandchildren, and other sorts of far-off things. Charlie, however, was surprisingly silent; the only things he said came from the quiet tears that rolled down his face as he looked up at the North Star. _

_The wind from behind the group rustled through the young redhead's hair, ruffling the unruly top of it about like a mass of loose feathers. Madison smiled right along with him; this was the happiest he had ever been since she met him. She felt mildly jealous for a moment that she hadn't ever made him as happy as he was, but she knew the reason why, and it quelled her jealousy._

"_So, what are you going to be telling Tsubasa about this day when he's old enough to understand?" She asked him._

"_He'd understand now." Charlie replied. "I'll tell him the truth: The day the world was supposed to end, your uncle and his ten friends, new and old, stopped that all from happening. Your uncle and his closest friends came back from the dead to save the world from the Devil himself, because people dared to defy what fate gave them. When that happened, a miracle happened, and the world was saved."_

"_What will you tell him about what happened afterwards?" Madison gave him a suggestive look._

"_I'll tell him that what happened, happened for a reason." He grinned. "What happened couldn't be helped, and that things happen as they do."_

_Madison felt comforted hearing him say what he said, and she wrapped her arms around his left arm and lied her head on his shoulder._

_Majiel cleared her throat to catch the group's attention. They stopped outside Rootcore and stood to listen._

"_While we would love to spend time with you all more, Lunajiel, Chronojiel, and I all wish to return to our respective homes. We hope that, as we respect your decisions, you respect ours."_

"_We do, mother." Fintan replied. "We understand what you mean, and we thank you for coming to our aid when we needed you." He then smiled. "We will come to visit soon, we promise."_

"_Good, because I'd hate to not spend time with my children…and grandchildren." Majiel gave Nick a look, who in turn, gave her a similar look._

"_Well, it was fun feeling like a little Warrior Saint again, but I have a dance to get to and a headcount to make…and many chairs to set out for those who've stepped out…" Chronojiel seemed saddened by the last comment._

"_As for me…I have the night to attend to. As you can tell, without me in Magitopia, the moon just isn't as bright." Lunajiel commented. "No hard feelings, right?"_

"_None at all." Sorin replied. "Good day to the three of you."_

"_Good day, my children." And with a tapof her staff upon the ground below her, a Saint Pentagram opened up below the three of them, and they spirited away in color-coded sparkles of light, the Saint Pentagram following them in the disappearing act once they left._

_The group turned back around and continued their trek to Rootcore._

_Once they arrived, the remaining members of the group took a long look at Rootcore, the home they did not think they would ever see again. Their home away from home, in a sense. The place where it all began almost a year ago. Everything felt so full circle, in a sense, that the night for them would end there, and that the next day, the first day of freedom, would begin there._

_Charlie unlocked Rootcore's hidden door and they all walked inside. Inside it was silent and dark, aside from the sound and light of the fireplace. Two figures sat on the couch in front of the fire, sipping tea from the teacups that normally stayed in the cupboard except for special occasions. On the table sat an inkwell and a feather pen that had been made from a feather from Tsubasa's plumage, along with sloppy writing upon parchment that looked, at best, vaguely familiar to the group._

_The group continued walking in, drawing the attention of the duo on the couch. The next few seconds were almost completely blurred._

"…_Sylvie?" Nick's jaw dropped, along with Fintan's._

"…_Dad?" She replied._

"…_Arwen? You're alive?"_

"_Well, that's a long story…"_

"_Anata!" Yuri leaped off the couch and shadow strafed to his side, embracing him tightly._

"_Ah, Yuri…I missed you so much…" Xander pressed his lips against hers as if he hadn't ever done so before. "I like your hair…" He grabbed the back of her head and they practically disappeared, most likely up into his room upstairs._

"_Well, that was awkward…and very distasteful." Charlie commented. "Where's Tsubasa?"_

"_He's sleeping in the corner." Sylvie replied as she set her teacup on the saucer and sat it above the fireplace._

_Charlie looked over; all that sat in the corner was a mass of bloody blankets to the side of Tsubasa's bed, and a giant blanket over his bed. "Very funny." Charlie said, looking back at Sylvie with a grin on his face. "Really? Where's my nephew? You know, the hippogryph?"_

_Sylvie gave him a look. "Well, I'm not sure about that, but I know that a 'Tsubasa' is sleeping in the bed after a bad injury on the field."_

_Charlie's eyes widened and he zipped over the bed in an instant, despite the fact that it was halfway across the room._

_Charlie kneeled down and slowly pulled the blanket back. His arms dropped to the side as he gave Sylvie a look saying 'What kind of trick is this?'_

"_Is it your nephew?" Sylvie asked._

"_I…I think…" Charlie looked down. Madison, Clare, and Vida walked over to his side and looked down into the bed. There lied a small infant with a full head of bright red hair, wearing a pink nightie that was decorated in embroidered birds, curled up in the bed cushion like a puppy._

"_Oh, he's so cute!" Clare squealed, making the infant stir in its sleep._

"_Well, if he's not yours, then Nick's got a little sibling." Vida joked, provoking a sudden silence from Nick, who had been talking to Sylvie._

"_Well, he has your hair and your chubby cheeks…" Madison said, pinching Charlie's cheek._

"_And my old sleeping clothes, which somebody will pay for going through my room to retrieve them." Charlie added._

"_Well, are you gonna pick him up or what?" Clare asked._

"…_I wanna know how this happened…" Charlie stood up. "I wanna know who did this to him."_

"_Well, Yuri was taking care of him when I arrived…" Sylvie replied._

_As if on cue, Yuri shadow strafed next to Charlie. She looked slightly disheveled and partially disoriented, but other than that, nothing had changed._

"_You rang?" Yuri asked. "Is it something quick?"_

"_What did you do to Tsubasa?" Charlie glared._

"_Calm down, he is fine. I had to use an ancient spell on him to restore him to his human form because his injuries were too big for me to heal otherwise. He would have died if I didn't. Besides…I thought it would make you happy to see him be as he should be." Yuri gave a pleading look, as if she were trying to ask for his approval._

"…_oh…" Charlie looked down. "…what happened to him?"_

"_He took on a big dragon, and he did really good…but he was just a bit too small to finish the job."_

"_Wow, a dragon…he's both crazy and courageous, just like his uncle…" Vida commented, winking at Charlie. Charlie seemed to beam with pride at her comment._

"_Okay, so all is well…sayonara." Yuri grinned and waved, then shadow strafed away._

"_It's good to have you back, no matter what." Nick finished his conversation with Sylvie, hugging her tightly._

"_It's good to be here with you…getting to hug you this time." Sylvie replied, then looked back to Fintan. "And dad…it's good to have you home."_

"_To have both my children here…" Fintan couldn't finish his statement; all he could do was cry silently and hug both Sylvie and Nick tightly, as if letting them go would make them disappear again._

_Sorin stood alone in the middle of the room, looking a bit left out. Vida smiled and hugged him. "Thanks for stalling for us." Vida said, lying her head on his shoulder. Sorin blushed._

"_Ugh…that is what I'm here for. Stalling. Wait, no…ugh…"_

"_What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Vida teased._

"_No, why would I want it? Human tongues are gross!" Kiran replied from in his lamp that was hanging on Sorin's belt, making Sorin and Vida share a laugh._

_A howl rang out in the night sky outside, causing everybody to look out towards the archery field._

"_Garra…?" Sylvie said inquisitively._

_Garra bounded in through the back doors, Udonna sitting upon her as if she were a small horse. Udonna's face turned whiter than her dress as she saw the entire group standing there._

"…_Mom?" Sylvie said, walking up to Udonna._

_Udonna fainted, lying back on Garra, and rolling to the floor._

"_Well, she took that well." Sylvie joked. "I'm sure everything will be easy to explain to her in the morning."_

"_Well, care to tell us what happened?" Madison asked as Fintan walked over and picked Udonna up off the floor._

"_Well, it's somewhat simple…somewhat." Sylvie replied, letting her arms drop to her side. "Well, my mom…she decided to wear the White Magician's armor to fight out in Mysteria. Since there was no Snowjiel, there was no real source of power for her to draw power from, so that task went to me, the only other source of white magic in Magitopia."_

"_Sorry about that…" Clare frowned._

"_Oh, not your fault at all!" Sylvie replied. "What happened was that I finally was able to stop being a supplier once you were restored, and I collapsed. Majiel wanted to save me, and Chronojiel reminded her that I'd need a body. I guess they forgot that my body was still intact and was in a morgue. Chronojiel told me to hold on as long as I could so that she could retrieve my body after you were all sent back here. After that happened, she quickly brought my body back and they put me back in it. Simple as that."_

"_No wonder your hands feel cold." Nick said jokingly._

"_I'm happy to see everyone here, together. It's one of the greatest things…" Sylvie sighed happily. "By the way…I take it all went well in combating Enma."_

"_There's not a speck left of him." Charlie replied proudly, smiling._

"_Good to hear." Sylvie smiled._

_The room was silent for several moments, until whimpering came from the corner. Charlie once again rushed over to the bed, this time shushing the crying infant as he gingerly picked the little one up. "Don't cry…I'm here…" He softly spoke. "Uncle Charlie's right here…you'll be just fine…" He stood up and walked around the room with the infant cradled gently in his arms. The infant's cries began to dull down as the two traveled around. The rest of the group seemed to watch on in awe; if they hadn't seen that it was Charlie doing all of this, they wouldn't have believed it._

"_Tea, everyone?" Sylvie asked. The group all mumbled sounds of approval. "Alright then! Let's all go outside for tea…the sky is looking beautiful…"_

"_Mmm. The moon is so pretty…" Sorin replied._

_The group walked out into the snowy field as Sylvie prepared more tea. Xander and Yuri could be seen from their balcony, stargazing._

"_Aren't they awfully quick?" Vida joked to Sorin._

"_Quick at what?" Sorin asked, slightly confused._

"…_Nothing."_

_Nick started a small bonfire in the middle of the field, which the group huddled around to start in again with their stories._

_Charlie continued to wander about on the field, then he suddenly stopped to look upwards at the stars. The winds blowing northwards ruffled his cloak and his air and Tsubasa began to wave his arms as it blow by, as if he wished to fly in it. Charlie looked over at Tsubasa and smiled, looking mildly sad, seemingly wishing that Tsubasa could do as he wished._

"_Charlie!" Madison called out, drawing his attention. "Come sit with us!"_

_Charlie sighed and walked over to the group, sitting down next to Madison._

"_Ucka! Ucka!" Tsubasa cried out, pulling on Charlie's hood and silencing the group. Charlie turned bright red as he teared up._

"_Yeah, that's me…" Charlie replied._

"_Ucka! Go adie!"_

"_Huh?"_

"_Go adie! Go adie!" He reached out towards Madison. Charlie looked over at Madison, and she blushed._

"_I'll take him for the moment." She replied, holding out her arms for him._

"…_okay…" Charlie seemed stunned by the sudden request, but he still handed Tsubasa over to Madison._

_Tsubasa curled up in her arms and sighed happily. "Hi…" She said to him._

"_Hi adie." Tsubasa replied, closing his eyes. "Nie-nie, adie." He said after a long yawn._

"_Night-night, Tsubasa." She replied, holding him close. He quickly went back to sleep, and Charlie seemed a bit upset, but kept silent._

"_I'll go put him in his bed." Madison replied._

"_No…he can sleep in my bed if he wants."_

"_Well, I'm tired anyways. I'll let him sleep on my bed…if you don't mind."_

"_No…not at all…" Charlie looked upwards. "Goodnight."_

_Madison kissed him on the cheek as she got up. "See you in the morning."_

"…_Yeah…"_

_Madison walked up to her room and lied Tsubasa down on her bed, then dressed in her nightgown. She sighed and took a final look out from her balcony; Charlie was once again standing far from the group, looking up at the sky as the wind tossed his cloak around._

_Madison slowly lied down next to Tsubasa and smiled. "You sleep good, little one." She said cheerily as she lied her head down on her pillow and fell fast asleep._

_Madison was usually a light sleeper, but the sun had barely come up as she woke up. Tsubasa was no longer on her bed. "I guess Charlie came to take you already, eh?" She joked as she grabbed a warm robe and a pair of slippers to wear before going downstairs._

"_Good morning you t-" Madison stopped in mid sentence as she descended the staircase; nobody was there. Tsubasa's corner had been gutted, only the empty bed remained. "…Charlie?" She ran upstairs._

_She knocked softly on his bedroom door, and it creaked open. She popped her head in to find in almost pristine, which it never was. The closet door was open, showing that several outfits were missing from it. The bathroom door was open, the warm air of the shower having recently ended floating about. _

_She walked to his balcony, which was unoccupied, and looked downward._

_Below, Charlie stood in his full winter hiking suit. Tsubasa was sleeping peacefully in a cradleboard strapped tightly around Charlie's shoulders, his face partially covered up to keep the whipping winds from harming him. Charlie looked upwards, then looked over at the sun that was barely above the horizon._

"_Charlie!" Madison shouted as she ran downstairs. He seemed to not hear her, as he then began to walk forwards as the next squall ran across the field._

_Madison ran downstairs, waking everyone else up. She tripped and fell on the platform's stairs, but she pushed herself up and ran for the backdoor, bursting through it._

"_Charlie!" She shouted again, her left knee bleeding from scraping it on the floor. She ran out towards the end of the field where he was, tears streaming down her face._

_As a gust of wind kicked up the snow, Charlie and Tsubasa began to fade from sight from the ground up, as if they too were being blown away by the northern winds…_

_I suppose it was too much to ask for anything more than what happened. I had never been the kind of person to beg for things I wanted…maybe this was the one time I should have._

_I could hear the voices of those around me, trying to pick me off the ground where I fell to my knees in grief. As the wind whipped through my hair, I remembered that this wind, like all northern winds, after hitting the southern mountains, was bound by fate to retreat back from whence it came…_

_And, as if on cue, the ending bell rang._


	43. Epilogue: The Magically Bonded Family

Madison Rocca, who sat in the corner of the classroom, looked up at the bell that rang. She closed the book that she had written for herself in her hand, which was entitled _Heaven and Hell_, as she looked down at her audience of third year students. She sniffled a bit, but regained her composure. The ending, however bittersweet, was something she had learned not to cry over.

"Well, what perfect timing. That's the end of the story. Now, I want you to all write your responses to the story for homework over your spring vacation." Madison said with a smile.

"That's not the end." A blonde girl from the group spoke up.

"…That was the last page, Sophie. That's the end." Madison replied.

"Nuh uh." Sophie replied. "The end is when you say what happens to everybody after the last page."

Madison blushed. "Well, if you all want to go home early-"

A mix of negative answers rose up from the students, making Madison a bit nervous. "You'd…all...rather hear the very end?" Madison was slightly confused.

"Yeah!" The class replied.

"…Alright…" Madison nervously replied. "Well…you just want to hear about the main characters?" The group nodded in the affirmative.

"Okay. Well, you all remember Xander had a bakery, right?" The group nodded yes. "Well, as soon as the next day came, he set to using his magic to making his bakery the best bakery in Briarwood. With his girlfriend, Yuri, and his assistant, Acantha, there was no reason for Vida and Madison to have to work there anymore, giving them a chance to move on in life, too. It's said that Yuri's cakes, especially her wedding cakes, are the most delicious and most beautiful cakes in the world…even if they are as unusual as the creator herself.

"And Nick, well, after an unusually short amount of thinking for him, he remained at Rootcore with his extended family, where he still lives today with Sorin, Sylvie, Clare, Udonna, and Fintan. He trains everyday to become as brave and powerful of a knight as his father under the watchful eye of his father's protégé. It's also said that he and Clare, even after starting out so far apart, have become very close.

"Clare is still a caretaker in Rootcore, tending to Nick's family and whomever visits. If there was one person who didn't change much in the group, it would be Clare. She's still the sweet, caring, and humble person she had always been." Madison smiled as she continued.

"Vida, well, after that day, she set out to become a concert hall violinist. Her fame as a Magician got her very far to start, and after a year, she retired to return home to Briarwood to become a music teacher. Nick occasionally skips his morning routine to stop by with his guitar and join her for the day's lesson.

Her cheeks turned red. "Madison, for a while, was very sad and was very lost. It took her a while after that day to get back on her feet, and when she did, she took the offer she had been given to become a schoolteacher, which she still does to this day." She smiled.

"What about Charlie?" Sophie asked.

"Well…" Madison sighed. "Well, nobody knows what happened to Charlie and Tsubasa. Nobody heard from him from that day…even today, nobody knows. Some say they see him out in Mysteria, playing the part of the everyday hero as a vigilante with Tsubasa by his side, others say that he turned to a life of crime and became a Madoushi. Others say that his fate was sealed long ago, that he turned up dead in a field somewhere shortly after leaving. Nobody really knows…" She sighed. "And that's the end…the true end, of this story. I want your written reviews by next week, preferably written on lined parchment. Now go and enjoy your vacation." She shooed the kids out of her classroom.

She then locked the door and closed the windows before going to her teacher's desk. She then lied her head down and began to cry. She reached out and grabbed a small yellow doll made of feathers and cloth, decorated to look like Chip in his Mystic Armor, that Vida had made for her on her birthday the year before. Her birthday was coming around again, as it showed up after March's Spring Week on her school calendar, but a more important date was marked for tomorrow.

She continued crying, grasping the yellow doll tightly.

After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. Madison stopped crying and looked up. "Hello?" She asked, her voice wavering.

"It's Vi, coming to cheer you up!" Vida called out from behind the door.

"The door's locked."

Vida unlocked the door and walked in as Madison wiped her eyes. Vida saw the book on the chair and frowned. "Got to the end of it again, didn't you?" Madison sighed in response.

"A little girl asked me to go on. She wanted to know what happened to him at the end…what became of him…" She clenched the doll tighter.

Vida frowned, brushing the navy and gold strips of her hair out of her face as she bent down next to Madison. "C'mon, we'll go home, and I'll make you a nice pot of tea and make you a nice tart and-"

"No." Madison replied. "I…" Madison stood up. "I need a walk. I need fresh air…" Madison grabbed her cloak and hat as she walked up the to coat rack behind the door.

"I'll walk with you!" Vida chirped. "It's not like I have any more kids to teach…"

"No." Madison looked back and glared. Vida jumped back; that look hadn't ever danced around Madison's face before.

Madison left, holding the doll in both hands as she left Briarwood's Premiere School, which housed students from first to sixth year. She walked out into town, looking around at the clear blue sky. Puffy little clouds floated across the sky as she walked down to the fountain.

The Magitopia Shrine, where she would be tomorrow, shined in the sunlight, the statues of herself and her closest friends stood in glorious poses, all looking downwards to the people below it. She sighed as she forced her gaze to leave the statue of Volgel.

She approached the new fountain, which bolstered a new statue of all the Saints, Sprajiel standing at the top, shooting the water from the tips of her trident prongs. She smiled weakly as she looked up and sat at the fountain's edge. She held the doll against her chest and sighed deeply, staring into the water. She played around with the yellow feather cape, twirling it around.

Nearby, Vida snuck into Xander's bakery, where Yuri was working on frosting some cookies, and Xander was finishing up a batch of bear claws. Several students from the Premiere School were spending their first hours of freedom in the bakery, enjoying warm toast and jam, baked mini green apple pies, and other sweet treats.

"Hi, Miss Vida!" They said, which made Yuri and Xander look up.

"That'll be Mrs. Vida to you after break!" She winked and smiled.

"Hey, Vida." Xander said, smiling. His hat was slouched to the side, and his apron was stained with pink frosting. "We just finished the cake this morning. It'll be ready for tomorrow."

"Oh, good to hear. But I came here for another reason."

"Oh?" Yuri said, looking intrigued.

"It's a cake." Vida said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Another wedding cake?" Yuri looked shocked. "Not enough time for another one!"

"No, not a wedding cake." Vida grinned, pulling out a slip of parchment. "This."

Yuri and Xander looked, and the students tried to sneak a peek. "Oh…" Yuri knew exactly what was wanted of her. "I see…you want this there…tomorrow?"

"Well, at the after party." Vida replied. "I want it to be a surprise." Vida grinned.

"Ah, I see." Yuri looked to Xander. "So, Aniki-chan, up to the challenge?"

Xander gave her a look. "…I have no idea what you called me, but I suppose we can try."

"Try?" Yuri said, confused. "We're only going to…try?" She stood up, her chest puffed up slightly. "We shall succeed!" Yuri took the parchment from Vida. "You can count on us!" Yuri marched into the back room. "Hana-chan, get me some angel cake and some fondant!"

"Right on it!" Acantha replied.

Back at Rootcore, Clare stood sweeping the floor, watching as Udonna and Sylvie furiously continued cooking.

"You know…all of this will be cold by tomorrow." Clare pointed out.

"And that is what my son is for." Udonna grinned.

"You called?" Nick asked as he walked in from practice, sweating heavily. His outfit now mimicked Sorin's civilian wear, with red replacing the navy blue. "Clare, a quick breath, please."

"Sure." Clare inhaled deeply, then exhaled swiftly. The air that came out of her froze instantly and formed tiny icicles all over Nick. "Thanks. This is a really heavy suit, and today's much too warm to be running around in it."

"Mr. Heatmiser can't take the heat?" Clare mocked. "How ironic."

"Har har har." Nick replied flatly as he proceeded to walk upstairs.

Sorin waltzed in, looking really tired. "Well, well, well, looks like Mr. Sunshine's ready for a little sunset." Clare winked.

"I didn't sleep last night. I don't think I'll sleep tonight, either." He muttered.

"Still worried?" Udonna asked.

"Did everybody send a letter back?" He asked, sitting down in Vida's chair.

"Yes, for the tenth time." Clare replied. "Everybody's coming."

"Okay, okay…" Sorin sighed. "Sorry, I just…" He looked up. "This seems harder than it should be."

"I remember when we got married…" Fintan said to Udonna. "I was the nervous one, too. I was afraid Majiel was going to unmake me out of spite. You were as solid as a rock, though. Tough as nails, and just as beautiful." He smiled.

"Dad, stop it." Sylvie replied. "I'm trying to read, not be sick from all the mushiness."

"Oh, your mother was such a beautiful blushing bride…" Fintan said softly, making Udonna blush. "Even now, she blushes."

"It was a bit rushed…" Udonna said, frowning a bit.

"Indeed…but it had to be fast. The shrine we were in was set ablaze by Hideacs."

"Ah, that was a bit humorous, you have to admit." Sorin grinned.

"Well, a hunk of burning wood nearly knocked the priest out…" Udonna laughed.

"I hope nobody tries to burn the shrine down on us tomorrow…" Sylvie commented.

"Well, if they do, Madison and I will be there to fix it, and Vida will beat the living hell out of the for ruining her big day." Clare smiled.

"…I almost wanna pay someone to crash the wedding, just to watch Vida blow her stack." Nick said, walking downstairs in a black teeshirt with a red Chinese dragon swirling around the sides, back, and shoulders, and a pair of blue jeans with just his socks on.

Sorin looked up. "You do that, and I'll kill you before Vida has a chance to move." He gave Nick a serious look.

"Ah man…that's one of the funniest things about her, though!" Nick said, sitting down in his chair.

"Mmm, it's one of the reasons I adore her." Sorin replied with a wistful sigh. "There's plenty more reasons, mind you…"

"Yeah…" Nick half-smiled, looking up at Clare, who joined him with her own half-smile.

"Oh! Nick, are we going to still do that thing?" Clare said with a wink.

"You wanna go practice? I've got some time."

"Yeah. I wanna get it just right!" Clare replied, setting her broom against Chip's chair.

"Alright." Nick got out of his chair and walked Clare up to his room.

Sylvie smiled as she looked up from her book. "I see you've got him working on manners, too." She joked.

"A knight is not just a good swordsman. A knight is to be a moral pillar in his society, which includes being a gentleman to all women, young and old alike. Justice and chivalry go hand in hand, Sylvie, and I will see to it that Nick, under my tutelage, represents the highest moral values in every aspect of life."

"I taught you well." Fintan said with a wide grin on his face. He then frowned as he looked over at the broom and the chair. "I wish that your teachings could have spread to others…"

"They did…just in their own sort of way." Sorin replied solemnly. "Giving one's life to defending the innocent, while unorthodox in method, is still part of our morality, isn't it, Master?"

"It is. I suppose I just wish that he…took the time to train with us instead of going out on his own…"

At that moment, Vida walked in. "Hey everyone." Sorin hid his head, and Vida grinned. "Hun, it's not tomorrow yet!" She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek to provoke him to look up at her. "That's much better." She smiled. "Okay, everyone, I have something I'd like to do at the after party, and I need your cooperation. Got it?" Everyone in the room nodded. "Okay, here's the plan…"

Madison walked home late that night, and rather than go into the house, she walked into the garden. She walked into the vine-covered house and dusted the entire place, from top to bottom. Almost nothing had shifted in its entire existence, except for the bed itself that, despite its original owner being mostly absent, had been used frequently.

Madison sighed and softly lied down on the bed, the bed lightly creaking under her. She curled up under the warm sheets, sighed, and closed her eyes. With the doll tightly pressed to her chest in an embrace, then contently fell asleep.

The door slowly closed, waking her up in the early morning. She sat up, the rays of sunlight just barely peeking over her house and through the garden. "…Hello?" She called out. Nothing responded. She slid out of bed, going to the window to see if she had heard somebody leaving. Nobody was outside.

"Maybe it was just my imagination…" She replied, setting the doll on top of the dresser. A warm breeze seemed to lure her half-asleep body back to bed, without her beloved doll. She sighed and walked to bed, curling back under the sheets. She couldn't tell if she had pulled the covers over herself or if they had moved themselves; at that point, she didn't care. She sighed and closed her eyes, a warm wave passing over her head in her final moments of consciousness.

She woke up once more around lunchtime, a still-warm pot of tea and an empty cup sat waiting for her. The day was still not spent; the ceremony wasn't for a few more hours. She poured herself a cup of tea and looked around, unsure of what had happened earlier.

Across the room sat an abandoned cup and saucer, her doll sitting next to it, an arm wrapped around the handle. She smiled and picked her doll up. "I'm not able to bring this to the reception…ah…" She walked over and smoothed out the blankets, lying the doll down on the bed. "Guard the house, will ya?" She smiled, patting it on the head before she grabbed her tea and left.

She walked into her house and smiled. "Thanks for the tea, Vi!" She said, quickly rushing into her room.

"…When did I give her tea?" Vida asked Clare, who was helping her transport her dress.

Madison took a shower and dressed simply in her corset and long slip with a plain blue dress over it. She grabbed her dress in the protective drape out of her closet, folded it softly in half, then walked out to her broom.

She tucked the dress in her seat compartment, then took off, attempting to catch up to Vida and Clare.

As she arrived, she saw Vida and Clare arguing with two people, one with a big metal device in hand. She landed her broom nearby.

"Listen here, this is a private ceremony-" Vida was screaming at the male member of the pair.

"I got this, sis. Go get ready." Madison replied, walking up to them.

"Tell this idiot he's not allowed in the wedding hall. If that doesn't work, break his legs." Vida replied as she walked off with Clare and her dress.

"Hi. I'm the bride's sister. Do you need something?"

"Well hello there. My name is Eric Miller with the Ravenwood News Department. Your sister's wedding is a hot topic at the moment, and we're looking to get the big scoop on the events."

"Well, you're going to have to wait outside the wedding hall, because this is a private event, with only the friends and family of the bride and groom." Madison replied.

"Well…" Eric frowned. "Do you suppose that we could get a few responses to some questions here on this paper from you, right here?"

"…Sure, if they're appropriate." Madison replied.

"Could you just look into this lens for me, then…?" Eric said, a very strange smile forming across his face.

"Sure…" Madison replied, giving him an odd look. As soon as she looked at the lens, a bright reflection of light bounced into her eyes, temporarily blinding her. "Ow!"

She stepped back, running into a warm solid mass. She grabbed at it, touching nothing else, and fell backwards on top of a warm, soft mass. She sat up and held her eyes, reaching back and touching gravel.

She looked back and saw nothing, she reached and felt nothing but warm cobblestone. She looked up at the reporter and his cameraman. "What the hell was that…?"

"Looks like the sun is acting strange today…" The reporter sneered.

"I'm sorry…I'm feeling disoriented…can I give statements later?" Madison asked.

"Sure…" Eric seemed upset.

Madison got up, unloaded the dress, then slowly walked inside.

"I'll give you the traditional head start…" A voice called out from thin air.

"Peek-a-boo." The cameraman turned the camera on, and a black flash of light shot out, rebounding off what appeared to be nothing, yet a black cloak appeared as it flew back from the blast. The figure got up quickly, rubbing their shoulder. The two seemed to be shocked.

"Like I said…you get a thirty second head start, but I can guarantee that you won't get to see past thirty-one." The figure grinned.

"Filthy Mahoutsukai." Eric replied, sneering.

"I'm sure the Mysterian dungeonmaster will be happy to see you back in his cell tonight…given that I don't kill you before we get there." The figure laughed. "You'd better start running…"

Eric and his cameraman teleported away. "Chickens."

Inside, Xander quickly decorated the archway into the wedding hall with beautiful flowering vines with gold and pink roses, using nothing but his will and a steady gaze. He wore a forest green tuxedo and a light and forest green striped silk tie. His hair combed back as straight as it would go, which wasn't very straight at all.

"Very elegant." Yuri said, standing behind him wearing a long black leather gown. She had fashioned her hair into a Hime cut for the special occasion. "How do I look?" She asked, showing herself off.

Xander looked back and smiled. "You look wonderful." Yuri kissed him and smiled.

Clare walked in wearing a sparkling white silk gown that was cut identical to Yuri's. Her long hair sat in a French braid that continued down to her shoulders. "Hi, Xander!" Clare said. "Nice suit."

"You look very chic yourself, Ms. Antonia." Xander replied.

Nick walked in behind her, wearing a red tuxedo and a gold tie that looked exactly like Xander's. Unlike the others, Nick hadn't done anything to his normal hairstyle other than he normally did. "Looking sharp, Nick."

"You too." Nick grinned.

Fintan walked in wearing a purple tuxedo and a red tie, Udonna walked in wearing a silver silk gown with red felt trimmings around the collar and hem. "Good day, you two." Xander said, smiling.

"Don't you look dashing." Udonna replied. Fintan scowled, making Udonna giggle. "Are you getting jealous?"

"You didn't tell me that I looked dashing…" Fintan replied.

"You always look dashing, though." Udonna replied, smiling.

Madison walked in alone with her stunning blue dragon dress on and her hair pin straight and ending at her chin, as it had been for several weeks now. As the Maid of Honor, she was allowed to wear a non-matching dress. Fintan, as the Best Man, had the option as well, but he decided against it.

The group took their spots on the appropriate spots on either side of the altar at the stroke of one, and Sorin walked in alone. In poured those who were public witnesses to the union next; Majiel, Chronojiel, Lunajiel, and Sylvie stood on Sorin's side of the room, and half of Briarwood, including many of Vida's students, stood on her side of the room.

Kiran, dressed up in a Magician Priest's white robes and in his human form, appeared at the altar in a puff of smoke.

"Good day to you all! Thank you all for attending, you may all sit down nyah." He said to the public crowd. They all sat down in their seats. "First, a quick prayer for a wonderful and prosperous wedding." Everyone folded their hands in prayer, and Sorin leaned in closely to Kiran.

"You're an ordained priest?" He whispered.

"Back in the day, only an ordained priest could be a healer, so I had to become one. I still am one, too, so everything's kosher." Kiran whispered. "Now pray and be quiet." Kiran stuck his tongue out at Sorin.

"In the name of Magitopia, nyah-men." They all stopped praying. "Now, may everyone turn in attention to the door in the back and welcome our flower girl and bride-to-be."

Everyone stood up as the doors opened slowly revealing Acantha in a white silk dress decorated in pretty daisies around the hem and neck. She walked down the aisle, tossing delicate daisy petals about. She reached the altar and bowed to Kiran and smiled, then walked into the crowd standing for Vida.

Slowly, Vida walked in, ushered in by her father. Around her neck, she wore her fairy crystal, and in her ears sat a pair of golden butterfly earrings. It was the first time Madison had ever seen her sister wearing makeup, even if it was only the lone pink lipstick upon her lips, which were twisted in a happy smile as Vida gazed upon Sorin. Her face was fully covered in a blue lace veil that her mother had worn on her wedding day.

Her dress was a tightly-tailored white corset and short skirt pair which opened up in the front around her kneecaps and slanted back, ending at a slightly lower point in the back. Beautiful white feathers lightly kissed with a pinkish hue at the very tips composed the train of the dress, the front group ending around her ankles, while the back stretched out to a foot-long train. Her high-heeled open toed white high heels had been borrowed from Clare for just this occasion.

In her hands sat a cheerful bouquet of navy blue, golden yellow, and cheery pink roses, paired with baby's breath and daisies. She took her place alongside Sorin, and her father walked to join the other men on Sorin's side of the room.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem…" Kiran said, garnering the crowd's attention.

"You're a priest, too?" Vida asked.

"Both of you now…nyah-ging because I'm not human and couldn't possibly be a priest…" He gave Vida a joking look. "I am a priest."

"Okay, just wondering." Vida gave him her own joking look.

"Anyways…friends of the bride, friends of the groom, and guests of honor, we are gathered together in this holiest of place to commemorate the sacred bonds of love and family, the event when two families join together in harmony to celebrate the beauty of love and the support of those they share blood with entranced within love's sweet embrace. The clouds part, the birds sing, and joy abounds on this glorious of days." He turned to face Sorin.

"Do you, Sorin, take Vida, to be your lovely wife? Will you cherish her sincerity and kindness? Will you find her pretty when she's sickly? Will you give her a hot pack and Midol when she's bloated and crampy and cries that she's fat?"

"Yes, yes, and most definitely." Xander and Nick snickered at his response.

"And do you, Vida, take Sorin as your lovely husband? Will you cherish his sincerity and kindness? Will you bandage him up after a long and bloody fight? Will you jump up behind him and scare him senseless just for a hug and a kiss in the morning?"

"Yes, yes, and every morning." Madison and Clare smiled at Vida's response.

"Since both lovers proclaim their unconditional love for each other, by the power vested in my by the powers that be, I now pronounce you husband and-"

The back doors slammed open, causing a panic.

Eric, the 'reporter' from earlier stood now in a Madoushi robe, looking quite pleased with himself. He laughed and quickly pointed his right hand like a gun at Vida. "Mejira Zazza-"

A second figure, wearing a black cloak with the Saint Pentagram logo over their chest and a large pink wing on the back, tackled him to the ground and broke his concentration.

"Damn you, Mahoutsukai!" Eric screamed as the hooded figure used small Saint Seals to bind his legs and arms together.

"This is way better than anything I could've paid for…" Nick muttered to himself, grinning widely.

"Pardon?" Xander asked.

"Oh, nothing." Nick continued grinning.

"Alright, up we go…" The hooded figure commanded, lifting Eric to his feet.

"You're supposed to be the nice guy!" Eric shouted.

"I'm not hired for my niceness, I'm hired for my efficiency." The figure replied. They then held their hand up. "I'm sorry if I've interrupted anything…I hope everything can go back to nor…" The figure looked up at the audience in front of them and suddenly fell silent. "…mal…" The figure swallowed hard.

"Friends of yours?" Eric taunted.

Madison, who herself was stunned, suddenly ran down from the podium and down the aisle. She knocked Eric aside, knocking him out on the edge of a pew, and tightly embraced the hooded figure, crying heavily.

"…Hi." He replied, hugging back.

Up at the altar, Vida's eye twitched. "Maddie…" She called out. Madison just stood crying, tightly clinging to the second wedding crasher. She turned to Kiran. "Finish right now."

Kiran cleared his throat, drawing as much attention as he could. "Okay, since both these people have proclaimed their unconditional love for one another, the powers vested in me by the powers that be permit me to pronounce you man and wife. You two may now share your first wedded kiss with your audience…" He dropped his voice. "as much of them that you have paying attention to you…"

Sorin faced Vida and smiled as he lifted her veil. Madison slowly stopped crying and looked up, then once again lied her head against the hooded figure's chest. Sorin smiled and kissed Vida warmly, and they both leaned in for an embrace.

"Ah! Now everybody, celebrate!" Kiran shouted, tossing up his arms.

Vida waited for a few moments, then let go and marched down the aisle. "Hands off!" She said in a vicious tone, her eyes wrapped in a vicious rage.

She pulled Madison away and sat her down, then clocked the hooded figure in the face. "How dare you show your sorry ass around here? Haven't you done enough?"

"Vida, stop it!" Madison said, clinging to Vida's leg.

"No! You won't stand up for yourself! He doesn't deserve someone so sadly devoted to him!"

"…Sadly devoted…?"

"Yes. All this time you cry over him, and you mope, and you write an entire story to feel like he's still here…that's just sad devotion." Vida replied. "Dad and I want nothing more for you to move on, like he has."

"You think I've just moved on?" He got up, defending himself while removing his hood and ruffling his bright red hair. "You think my choice wasn't painful? You think I was happy to leave?"

"You could have said goodbye!" Vida shouted. "You could have responded to her when she screamed for you…you could have left her with something more than an empty bed and an emptier heart!"

"If I said goodbye, it would have meant I never planned to return!" Chip shouted, silencing those who had began to gossip. "I wanted to come back. I didn't mean to hurt her. I have come back and forth before, but I didn't want to hurt her with merely returning for a moment…"

"Then why don't you stop being a stranger and stay a while?"

"My job is still not done."

"What job? To play Superhero and leave my poor sister behind?"

"…You were there…last night…" Madison spoke softly, slowly letting go of Vida's leg.

"Huh?" Vida asked. Chip smiled.

"Mhm. I was surprised to see you there."

"You closed the door and woke me up…and you led me back to bed and covered me up and caressed me until I fell back asleep…and you made me tea and left the doll near your cup to let me know…"

"Yes, that was me."

"I thought it was! And that was you earlier, protecting me!"

"I hope I softened your fall."

"And every time I felt like somebody was there…"

"It was probably me."

"Oh…" Madison teared up and grabbed his arm. "I knew it all along!"

"Man, this is way better than anything I could have ever imagined happening…ever." Nick smiled. "There's no WAY I could have scraped enough money together to top this."

"So…are we having a double wedding?" Kiran asked.

"Not on Vida's watch." Sorin replied.

"Damn. I wanted to have another special occasion."

"I'd love to stay and chat, but there's a toddler waiting for me above the shrine, and this guy's got a jail cell in Mysteria with his name on it. Almost sorry to say his partner's not joining him. Almost." Chip grinned and picked Eric up by his collar. "I promise I'll be back in a few hours…processing criminals in Mysteria's a bit lengthy."

"You don't, and I track you down myself." Vida replied through gritted teeth.

"Well, this wedding was officially more dysfunctional that yours, Master Fintan." Sorin said with a grin.

"Indeed. Congrats." Fintan replied.

Several hours later, Chip slammed down his sixth shot glass rim-up at the wedding reception's bar, with Madison watching on in mild disgust. He then expertly spun it rim-down and sat it on top of the small pyramid he had started, setting it perfectly in the middle. He grinned at Madison, who looked down.

"How charming." She muttered sarcastically.

"This is actually the least I've drunk in one sitting…ever." Chip replied.

"Oh, that's lovely. I'm sure Tsubasa really enjoys a drunk uncle taking care of him." Madison replied looking up and scowling.

"Actually, it's rare that I do." Chip replied. "But lately, more often."

"Drinking out of guilt?" Madison replied.

"Drinking out of stress." Chip replied, resting his forehead on his arm, which sat on the bar in front of him.

"Drinking to forget." Madison added, looking back down. She knew that scenario all too well, having lived with her father long enough. After a moment, she looked over at Chip. "Doesn't make it okay, though, when you're the only person Tsubasa has."

"I know. I drink while he's asleep, and I know it's not alright…I don't need a lecture."

"I understand. You miss me."

"Fuck yes." Chip replied, looking up. Madison got up out of her chair and embraced him.

"I'm glad you do, because I missed you, too."

Chip looked up to her and looked confused. "You cut your hair."

"…Yeah."

"Why? Couldn't stand to look pretty for anybody else but me?" He gave her a suggestive look.

Madison gave him a slightly creeped out look. "You reek of whiskey."

"I know."

Across the room, Udonna and Clare were watching Tsubasa, who was now almost two years old. He happily made faces with Clare and Udonna.

"Okay, what am I?" Clare asked, puffing up the skin below her bottom lip.

"Fwoggie!" Tsubasa replied, throwing up his arms, in joy.

"Yay! Froggie! You're so smart!" Clare replied, hugging him.

"Uncle Charlie!" He called out, waving his arms about. Clare looked over to Chip and Madison.

"Oh, he's busy right now." Udonna replied.

"He asleep on Maddie." Tsubasa commented.

"That he is…" Clare commented. "Uncle Charlie's all partied out."

"Par-tee?" Tsubasa blinked.

"Party, yes. We are at a party."

"Party when people are all in same woom in speshal dress?"

"…Yeah." Udonna replied, smiling happily.

Nearby, Yuri and Xander stood, slow dancing to the live band.

"Maybe we can have one like this…maybe not as crazy." Yuri said softly. Xander gulped, and Yuri looked into his eyes. "You wouldn't want to…?"

"Well…you see…ugh…not right now!" He replied nervously.

Yuri giggled. "Yes, not now, silly! We have much time to think about this…I just wanted to know what you thought right now." Yuri smiled.

"Ask me again…in about twenty years." Xander replied. Yuri giggled and ruffled his hair.

Nick sat on the side of the stage with Clare, tuning his acoustic. "How you doin'?" Nick asked, watching as Clare twirled her hair nervously.

"Well, I've never sang in front of an audience before…"

"You'll be fine. I think your voice sounds perfect." Nick smiled. Clare blushed.

"So we wait for Vida, right?"

"Mhm. For now, we practice."

"Okay…" Clare smiled nervously.

Fintan, Clarin, Majiel, and Chronojiel all carried in the wedding cake.

"The little fondant figures on the top are absolutely adorable…" Clarin commented. "The Queen Vampire made them?"

"Yuri made the entire outside of the cake. I'm not sure who made the actual cake on the inside, though."

"Marion, do I really have to have a slice of this?" Chronojiel asked, sounding upset.

"It's my son's wedding, Terpsie. You will have a slice, and you will like it. The Vampire Queen made this cake from scratch, and little figures of my son and his bride are on top of it and not eating it would be an insult to both her and I." Majiel replied.

Chronojiel sighed. "I'm trying to watch my weight…"

"I like these yellow and pink roses…they look real."

"…I think they are real, Clarin."

"Oh! Nice touch. It's almost too beautiful to cut into!" Clarin blushed.

They walked the cake into the dining hall, and all those in the room gasped at its beauty. Everyone from the dance hall walked in and everyone, with the exception of Vida and Sorin, took a seat at the long dining table.

"Alright, the bride and groom shall divide the cake up for the guests, and then we'll all get to enjoy it." Kiran announced, pulling a silver blade from his waist sash. "Here you two go…knock yourselves out."

Sorin took the knife, and Vida's hands overlapped his. They cut the first slice and handed it to Sorin, who blushed. "Nyah, I can't accept this, both of you!"

"Take it, Kiran." They both insisted, giving stern looks.

"Okay…" Kiran mildly bowed, then took the cake slice and sat down.

They continued handing out slices to all those in attendance; the cake ran out and the majority of the Mystic Force missed out. Chip frowned.

"What, no free food?" Chip joked, a drunken smile painted on his face.

"Oh, Maddie, everybody, come with us." Vida said, waving them into a back room. Those in the group who didn't get any cake followed Vida and Sorin.

The Mystic Force and the remaining Saints walked into a dark room. Vida placed her hands over Madison's eyes and grinned.

"Hey! What's going on?" Madison asked.

"Pwetty!" Tsubasa said, causing Clare to hush him.

"Udonna…" Clare handed Tsubasa over to Udonna and walked over with Nick as Fintan turned on the overhead light.

Chip gasped and grabbed Madison's hand.

"Oh, it looks a lot better now than on paper." Vida commented.

"I was up all night working on it…well, I'm always up all night, but…" Yuri smiled.

"Can I see now?" Madison asked.

"Ah, surprise!" Vida replied removing her hands.

A lone table surrounded with present boxes sat in the middle of the room, and a blue cake sat in the middle, decorated to look like the ocean with a fondant statue of Sprajiel standing in the middle. Around the base the words "Happy 21st Madison" were written in sparkling black frosting. Madison blushed and covered her mouth.

"Surprise!" The group shouted. Madison fell to the ground, and Chip and Vida helped her back up.

"You all shouldn't have…" She began to cry.

"Don't cry, sis! Do you think I wouldn't wanna share my special day with you?" Vida replied as she and Chip helped her to the chair.

"Oh, what a nice way to commemorate one's date of birth!" Chronojiel commented, smiling. "Though…not sure what confections have to do with being birthed…"

"Cake is the thing humans use to when celebrating a joyous occasion with others, I have found." Majiel replied.

"These humans are strange, Marion, but I think I'll have some cake with them anyways." Chronojiel replied.

"Now, Terpsie, let the birthday girl hand out her slices before you dive in…" Majiel glared.

"Oh, you with your yapping." Chronojiel replied.

"Ah! Hold on a minute!" Clare said. "First, let us do this so I can get it over with." Clare nervously smiled.

Nick sat down on the arm of a lounge chair while Clare stood up next to him.

"Happy Birthday to you 

_Happy Birthday to you_

_Happy Birthday, dear Madison_

_Happy Birthday to you_

_Our dearest dearest Madison_

_Our Maiden of the Ocean_

_All of us are hoping_

_You will have a great birthday_

_This is our gift to you_

_To cheer you up on your day_

_Even though we're pretty sure_

_Your birthday is next week…"_

The group laughed.

"_From Nick and I and all of us_

_We hope your wishes come true_

_So think real hard, think it through_

_And if it doesn't work, well then we owe you!"_

Nick played the traditional ending chords to the song and Clare bowed.

"Thank you, both of you." Madison replied.

"Okay! Cake and gift time!" Clare proclaimed.

Yuri smiled and took a frog plush on the table and sat it on Chip's shoulder. "Hello again, Kiiro-kun. I know I didn't get the chance before to say that."

"Hello again, Miss Yuri." Chip replied.

"Somebody got into the firewater…"Yuri poked Chip's nose.

"You bet your ass I did. With Vida close by, I need something that's gonna numb the punches."

"You're too young to need a new liver, tree boy." Xander popped up behind Chip, scaring him.

"Damn you!" Chip shouted. "Don't scare me like that!" He glared at Xander. "And anyways, for your information, I'm from the Northern Plains, not the Treelands."

"Okay then…"

"Oh, you are?" Udonna said, curious. "What section? My cousin lived up there…"

Vida walked over and began sorting through the boxes on the sides of the table, picking up a rectangular one and holding it. Nick lit a blue candle and set it on the table in front of Madison. "Go ahead, Maddie, make a wish and blow it out."

"…Is there anything I could hope to wish for that I don't have right now…?" Madison said, looking around the room. "I suppose one thing…"

She closed her eyes and thought of the one wish she could hope to have. _I wish this family would never break apart, ever again._ She blew out the candle and opened her eyes, smiling a quaint half-smile.

The cake was cut up and divided, and this time, everybody got a piece. Madison smiled as she handed the pieces out, and finally, it was time to eat and open presents.

"So, Charlie, why don't you tell us exactly what you've been up to?" Vida asked, driving her fork deep into her cake slice.

Madison opened up her first box; a pair of blue pearl earrings. "Mother Majiel, they're so pretty!" She said.

Chip grinned at Vida, and somehow drew the attention of a great deal of the room as he spoke. "Well, ever since we defeated Enma, I've felt like my job here was done, ya know?"

"Yeah, go on." Vida was interested.

"So I decided to go home to Mysteria, and like, it was a total wreck. Utter chaos. Lawlessness and corruption runs the slums and whatnot. Madoushi are an incredibly big problem there, so I began offering my services, at first, to a town near where I grew up. But then word got out about be, so I became a sort of…mercenary, if you will."

"A mercenary? You joined an army?"

"No, no!" Chip drunkenly swung his arms about, dispelling Vida's claim.

"An apron, Xander? Thank you!" Madison said, holding the brand new plain apron up.

"What no, 'Hail to the Chef' or 'Kiss the Cook' apron for poor Maddie?" Nick joked.

"A woman doesn't need a catchphrase on her kitchen apron." Xander wittily spoke.

"So people write you letters that say stuff like, 'Crazy Madoushi stuff is happening in our town. Please help.', and you swoop down to save them and stuff?"

"Yeah, pretty much. My last case was from a friend of the family who works in one of the new prison facilities they have in the 'city' of Magiopolis. You heard of them yet?"

"You mean the ones that actually have magic fields that break down negative energies, and keep Madoushi from casting spells?"

"Yeah that one…"

"Another long sleeved dress, dad?" Madison held it up. "I'm going to sweat to death if I wear this any time after this month!"

"Well, the guy I was chasing and ended up crashing your wedding with was an escapee. He found a loophole in the barrier he was under…some faulty casting, I guess…so the family friend, who just happens to be the dungeonmaster in charge of the place, hit me up with a letter asking me to find this guy so that they could place him in a stronger barriered area, maybe even begin a siphoning project on him to…relieve him of some of the Madou energy he may have built up within him."

"I see…"

"How's the cake?" Yuri asked the group. A group reply of 'Great!' came back to her.

"So, you thinking of staying, maybe for a few days?" Vida asked, a hint of forcefulness in her tone.

"…Sure. I mean, that was my last assignment on the list, so…I could use a little break, yeah."

"That's good to hear." Fintan said, pulling his chair up next to Chip. "I wanted to give you something, but I had no idea on how long you planned to be here." He handed Chip a rectangular box, unwrapped.

"Oh, Birthday Woman's that way."

"Hi, Tsubasa!" Madison replied as Tsubasa was sat on her lap.

"Hi Maddie!" He replied with a big smile. He then gasped, looking shocked. "Where Maddie hair go?" He asked, reaching up and touching the end strands.

"It went away."

"Why it go away?"

"…It'll grow back."

"Yay!" Tsubasa clapped.

"You wanna help Maddie open this?"

"Yesh!"

Chip watched the two and smiled. "I think I might stick around for a while, maybe until…oh, I don't know."

"Take it." Fintan said, poking Chip in the shoulder with the box.

"Okay, okay…" Chip took the box and opened it.

Inside sat a leather jacket, identical to the ones worn by Fintan, Sorin, and Nick; the right side dyed purple like Fintan's, the left side colored a pale yellow, like his Mystic Armor and Saint Armor. It was accompanied by a pair of black leather pants to finish off the uniform. Chip looked up at Sorin with a look of wonder dancing across his face.

"Sorin and I came together a long time ago and decided that, if you were to restart your training, that I should be the one to do so. I know that the most important thing to you is to protect people, and I want to show you how to do it much better than you ever fathomed possible. It takes commitment, though, so you will have to stay at Rootcore, or near by in Briarwood, for a while. Do you think you could do that? If you can, I will be more than willing to teach you."

Chip looked over at Madison and Tsubasa, then around the room, then at Vida, then at Fintan. "I'm drunk, and you're asking me to make a life decision…" He laughed. "Ah, what the hell. I'd be more than happy to be your squire."

Fintan grinned and placed his hand on Chip's shoulder. "I'm proud to hear that, boy. We shall begin training bright and early tomorrow morning…be ready to show me what you know."

"Yes, sir." Chip nodded.

Madison sighed happily as she and Tsubasa heard the good news. They sat their last gift, a book on advanced first aid from Nick, on the table. Vida looked up and smiled, then got up and walked over to Madison's side.

"Miss Bida have feathers!" Tsubasa pointed to her skirt.

"Yes, I have feathers." Vida replied, smiling. "This is my gift to you."

Madison opened the box, and inside sat her copy of _Heaven and Hell._

"This's my book." Madison said, a hint of disapproval in her voice as she looked up to Vida.

"Look in the back." Vida replied, a grin spread across her face. Madison looked a bit confused, but did so anyways.

In the back sat a dozen blank pages, front and back. "There's extra blank pages." Madison said. "You took my book, and shoved a bunch of extra pages in there."

"Well, you see, it was the greatest story I've ever heard, but I thought that one of the main characters got shafted. After everything, the poor Blue Magician never got her happy ending. I put more pages in there so that you could, you know, write about what happened next in her life, to show the audience that she did get to live happily ever after."

Madison blushed. "I guess she did." She replied, looking over at Chip. He smiled back. "I'll have this finished in no time, and everybody will know just how wonderful everything turned out." Madison stood up, holding Tsubasa in her arms. "Thank you, everyone."

Kiran slowly peeked his head in, provoking Nick to stand up. "Hey! C'mon in!"

"Hi Kiran!" Tsubasa said, waving.

Kiran laughed. "Smart kid…either that, or bad disguise, on my part." He then looked at Nick. "You need something?"

"You know how to work a photo camera, right?"

"Yeah, you showed me."

"Could you take a picture of us all together?"

"Of course!" Kiran replied. Nick then handed him the camera.

Nick, Clare, Fintan, Udonna, Sorin, and Vida stood to Madison's left, and Chip, Xander, Yuri, Chronojiel, and Majiel stood to her left. Chip made no hesitation to wrap his arms around Madison's waist and pull her close.

"Alright everyone, in about ten seconds…" A pillar of smoke rose up to support the timer-set camera as Kiran ran to join the group. "Say 'Nyah'." After a moment he shouted, "Okay!"

"Nyah!" The group shouted as they took poses, with the exception of Chip, who leaned in and kissed Madison on the lips at the last second.

The picture was magnified and then sat over the mantle of the fireplace at Rootcore, becoming a daily reminder of the magically bonded family they had become.


End file.
